Shilpgram, Udaipur

Shilpgram is the Udaipur attraction for folk crafts and village architecture from across western India, and hosts a big crafts fair every December.

Shilpgram, the Rural Arts and Crafts Complex, is a living ethnographic museum run by the West Zone Cultural Centre west of Udaipur near Fateh Sagar, in the Aravalli foothills (3 km out per WZCC, 7 km per Rajasthan Tourism). Its 31 representative huts come from the centre's member states in western India. Each was built with materials brought from its region, by people from that community, using traditional designs.

Inside are everyday objects such as terracotta, textiles, woodwork, metalware, farm implements and craftsmen's tools, arranged to show how a self-sufficient village of potters, carpenters, blacksmiths and weavers worked together. Artisans and folk performers often demonstrate crafts, painting and dances such as terah taali.

The complex comes alive during the ten-day Shilpgram Utsav, which Rajasthan Tourism lists from 21 to 30 December, when craftspeople and performers from across India fill the grounds. At other times it is quieter and good for an unhurried walk through the huts. Wear comfortable shoes, as the site covers undulating ground. Shilpgram pairs naturally with Fateh Sagar and Saheliyon-ki-Bari on the same side of the city.