Handloom & Handicraft Expo
Where craft meets
culture.
Eight days. Thirteen states. Thirty crafts. One city coming alive with the living heritage of India's artisan communities.
Gramin Haat, JNV Colony, Bikaner
11–18 October 2025
Bikaner District Administration · District Collector Smt. Namrata Vrishni
The Idea
Virasat means heritage. Weaves means everything that holds us together.
Rajasthan is one of the world's most extraordinary repositories of living craft knowledge. These traditions have been passed down through generations of artisan families — in Kutch, in Bhagalpur, in the valleys of Kashmir and the forests of Odisha.
Organised by the Bikaner District Administration and curated by Malang Folk Foundation, the 2025 edition brought together 40 artisan organisations from 13 states — timed to coincide with the Diwali festive season.
Every stall at Virasat Weaves carried centuries of knowledge. Every craft came with its own story — of technique, lineage, and the hands that have kept it alive.
Virasat Weaves is a celebration of India's living traditions — work passed down through generations, crafted with hands that know no shortcuts and hearts that know no compromise.
— Virasat Weaves, mission statement
We don't own this space. We offer it — to the city, to its artists, to its wanderers, and to whoever arrives withsomething to make, share, or simply witness.
Partners
Voices of Tomorrow
What Virasat Weaves achieved.
The expo successfully achieved its objectives of promoting traditional crafts and supporting artisan livelihoods. It created ripples well beyond the eight days of Gramin Haat.
Bikaner on the craft map
The event positioned Bikaner as a growing hub for cultural and craft-based events, with strong interest from artisans to return for future editions.
Cross-cultural exchange
The event created meaningful connections between artisans from 13 states and the people of Bikaner — many encountering these craft traditions for the very first time.
Live workshops & learning
College students engaged in live craft workshops — Pattachitra painting, crochet, aari embroidery, paper maché, weaving, and pottery.
₹50 lakhs in total sales
Total sales crossed ₹50 lakhs across 8 days — with many artisans reporting figures exceeding their regular earnings at Jaipur and Delhi exhibitions.
Artisan livelihoods strengthened
Participating SHGs, NGOs, and individual artisan entrepreneurs gained new market linkages, customer connections, and visibility that extends beyond the event.
Cultural tourism boost
Exhibitors visiting Bikaner for the first time explored heritage sites such as Deshnok Temple and Junagarh Fort, expressing deep appreciation for the city's hospitality.
5,000+ visitors
An approximate footfall of 5,000 visitors including families, college students, and first-time craft buyers from Bikaner and surrounding areas.
8
days · Oct 11–18 2025
13
states represented
40
stalls at Gramin Haat
5,000+
visitors through the gates
We have participated in exhibitions in Bikaner earlier also, but have never seen such management and arrangements before. Earlier we were skeptical about sales, but our sales were better than what we do in Jaipur or Delhi.
Artisan Organisation
Craft Collective
Rajasthan
Thank you for such a well-managed platform — we got recognition and great sales.
SHG Participant
Self Help Group Member
Assam
States & Crafts
From across India, under one roof. Every stall at Virasat Weaves carried centuries of knowledge.
Punja durries, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Pit-loom woven rugs with crisp geometry — from Rajasthan's weaving villages, durable and deeply local.
Copper bells of Kutch
Gujarat
Forged and hammer-tuned by the Luhar community — each bell shaped entirely by ear and instinct.
Aari embroidery, Kashmir
Kashmir
Fine chain stitch with a hooked needle — chinar leaves and paisley, one loop at a time.
Kantha embroidery
West Bengal
Running stitches on layered cloth — Bengal's oldest embroidery, once born from upcycling, now an heirloom.
Kunbi handloom, Goa
Goa
Red and white checks, hand-woven cotton — Goa's oldest indigenous fabric, revived after near-erasure.
Chikankari, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
White-on-white, hand-embroidered — born in Mughal courts, perfected in Lucknow's quiet lanes.
Madhubani art
Bihar
Hand-painted with natural dyes — mythology, nature, and devotion from the women of Mithila.
Bandhani, Gujarat
Gujarat
Hand-tied knots dipped in natural dyes — the ancient tie-and-dye art of Kutch, dotted and brilliant.
Gond art, MP
Madhya Pradesh
Dots and lines forming the forest — stories of nature and devotion from Madhya Pradesh's tribal tradition.
Bhagalpuri Tussar silk
Bihar
Wild Tussar fibre, golden hue — Bhagalpur's silk woven on handlooms with a 200-year legacy.
Pattachitra paintings
Odisha / West Bengal
Natural pigments on cloth — mythological stories of Jagannath, Krishna, and Bengal's Patua tradition.
Ajrakh block printing
Rajasthan / Gujarat
Natural indigo & madder dyes, carved wooden blocks — a thousand years in sacred geometric pattern.
Support
Choose how you would like to be part of this journey.
Your support enables both those who carry the knowledge and those who are ready to receive it.
✦
Participate as an artisan
Are you a craftsperson or artisan collective? We want your work at the next edition. Get in touch and tell us about your practice and state.
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Partner as an organisation
NGOs, craft councils, design schools, and institutions — let us build the next edition together.
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Sponsor or support
Your support goes directly to artisan travel, stall setup, live demonstrations, and keeping the expo free and open.
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