Kashmir has 3.81 lakh registered artisans across 60 crafts

Srinagar, Aug 17: Kashmir’s famed craft economy has been laid bare district by district and craft by craft, with 3,81,505 artisans and weavers officially registered across the Valley up to March 31, 2025.

The Department of Handicrafts and Handloom, in reply to a query by this correspondent, said Srinagar tops the list with 81,878 artisans, followed by Budgam with 75,347 and Baramulla with 54,169. While Sozni embroidery, carpets and crewel continue to engage lakhs, many traditional crafts like silverware, willow bat making and meenakari are now left to only a handful of practitioners, raising fears of extinction.

Kashmir’s famed craft economy—3,81,505 artisans and weavers are registered across the Valley—yet the same data underlines a widening gap between thriving marquee crafts and several traditions now on the brink.

Sozni embroidery remains the workforce anchor with 1,23,603 registered artisans—nearly one-third of the entire artisan base. Budgam is the Sozni epicentre with 38,324 artisans, followed by Baramulla with 29,136, Srinagar with 17,886 and Ganderbal with 17,806; Bandipora, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Kupwara and Anantnag also contribute meaningfully to Sozni’s scale. Crewel embroidery sustains 48,629 artisans, led by Srinagar with 15,179 and Anantnag with 14,032, with Pulwama, Budgam, Baramulla and Kulgam adding sizable cohorts.

Carpet weaving, synonymous with Kashmir globally, supports 57,410 artisans. Budgam narrowly leads with 13,674 carpet artisans, edging Bandipora at 13,198, followed by Baramulla at 8,824 and Srinagar at 7,586, while Anantnag accounts for 2,963. Staple embroidery employs 13,827 artisans, concentrated in Srinagar and Budgam. Paper Machie has 3,001 artisans, more than three-quarters of them in Srinagar, with smaller pockets in Budgam and other districts. Tapestry sustains 760 artisans, largely across Baramulla, Srinagar and Budgam.

Chain stitch employs 13,014 artisans, overwhelmingly clustered in Anantnag at 10,185, followed by Shopian at 865 and Pulwama at 576. Zari embroidery accounts for 21,509 artisans, with strongholds in Shopian (4,279), Pulwama (3,112) and Budgam (3,355). Kani shawl weaving has 4,399 artisans, dominated by Baramulla with 3,166 and supported by Kupwara with 732.

Wool-based crafts show a mixed picture. Namdha embroidery has 406 artisans—mainly in Srinagar, Kupwara and Ganderbal—while Namdha felt has 175, concentrated in Kulgam and Ganderbal. Gabba making employs 1,619 artisans, led by Kupwara and Bandipora. Luxury textiles remain critical: Pashmina spinning engages 18,716 artisans, led by Srinagar (6,235) and Ganderbal (2,933); Pashmina weaving involves 2,701 artisans, most of them in Baramulla and Ganderbal. Pattu weaving employs 20,047 artisans, with Srinagar alone accounting for 9,630. Tailoring and cutting ranks among the largest livelihoods at 35,087 artisans spread across the Valley; readymade garments remain a niche with 300 artisans in Srinagar.

Metal and wood traditions have shrunk sharply. Copperware engraving is down to 140 artisans; copperware sakhta (base-making) counts 1,192, led by Srinagar at 805. Silverware has only 21 artisans in Srinagar and Budgam. Wood carving employs 1,117 artisans, led by Srinagar and Kupwara, while Khatamband decorative ceilings have 169 artisans, mostly in Srinagar. Willow-based crafts endure unevenly: willow wickerwork supports 2,443 artisans—Ganderbal at 834 and Kulgam at 741—whereas willow bat making is now limited to 11 artisans in Anantnag.

Several crafts survive only in scattered pockets. Calico printing has 66 artisans, largely in Baramulla and Kupwara; Tilla embroidery has 171, almost all in Baramulla; Meenakari is confined to Ganderbal with 37; pottery has 219, mostly in Budgam. Some trades—including handmade aromatics, handmade soap and turquira ware—presently have no registered practitioners, while mosaic craft, stone carving, hand knitting and painting persist with only single-digit or low double-digit practitioner numbers.

The district-wise totals underscore where capacity sits and where specialisations persist. Srinagar has the highest number of registered artisans at 81,878, followed by Budgam at 75,347 and Baramulla at 54,169. Bandipora stands at 39,370 and Anantnag at 37,455. Crucially, the RTI data also records Kupwara with 15,378 artisans, Ganderbal with 27,798, Pulwama with 22,210, Kulgam with 18,189 and Shopian with 9,711—districts that, despite smaller totals, anchor distinctive niches such as willow wickerwork (Ganderbal, Kulgam), gabba and wood carving (Kupwara), zari and chain stitch (Pulwama, Shopian) and pashmina spinning (Ganderbal).

The Department’s RTI response makes plain the twin reality: a large, living economy driven by Sozni, carpets, crewel, pashmina and tailoring, and a parallel attrition in metals, niche textiles and specialised decorative arts. Without targeted preservation programmes, youth skilling, design innovation and stronger market access—particularly through logistics upgrades, warehousing and e-commerce pathways—the Valley risks losing irreplaceable heritage skills even as its flagship crafts continue to sell to the world.