Kolhapur

Kolhapur was a princely state under the Chhatrapati dynasty — descendants of Shivaji Maharaj — until Indian independence. The rulers were patrons of Maratha material culture: lacquerware, jewellery, weapons, textiles, and ceremonial objects. The distinctive Kolhapuri craft traditions emerged under this patronage and continued in the post-royal commercial economy.

The Mahalaxmi temple at Kolhapur — one of the Shakti pithas — draws pilgrims year-round and sustains a craft economy around devotional objects: brass and silver deity figures, temple lamps, jewellery worn as offering. The city's material identity is inseparable from this religious geography.

The Kolhapuri chappal is made by the Chambar community, who have worked with leather in this region for centuries. The sole is vegetable-tanned local leather; the upper is cut in curvilinear patterns, punched with geometric designs, and threaded by hand. The distinctive toe ring is functional — it keeps the sandal on the foot without a back strap.

The sandal is designed to be worn loose. A new pair feels stiff and unfamiliar. After several weeks of regular wear, the leather softens along the foot's pressure points and the sandal begins to follow the wearer's gait. This breaking-in period is not a flaw — it is the product's design principle. A six-month-old Kolhapuri fits like nothing else.

• Chambar leather work
• Vegetable-tanned sole
• Punched upper design
• Toe ring closure
• Geometric perforation

Kolhapuri gold jewellery is made from 24-carat gold — not cast but beaten. The Sonar goldsmithing community works pure gold sheet into forms using hammers and formers, creating objects of remarkable thinness and warmth. The thushi choker — a flat beaded necklace — and the nath nose ring are the signature forms.

The nath is an elaborate circular nose ring worn by Maharashtrian women at weddings, often so large it requires a thread attached to the hair to support its weight. The goldsmith who makes a nath works in 24-carat gold that must be shaped without breaking — a material constraint that demands complete mastery of annealing and forming.

• 24-carat beaten gold
• Nath nose ring
• Thushi choker
• Sonar goldsmithing
• Maratha wedding jewellery