Barmer, where the desert stitches, prints and sings

The desert's workshop

• A hard land: rain is scarce, summers are fierce, and the land supports herding and dry farming better than anything else.
• Craft from hardship: women of many communities embroidered for their own families, making quilts, bags, wedding clothes and dowry textiles.
• Identity in thread: those pieces showed each woman's skill and her community's identity.
• The men's crafts: printing and dyeing cloth, carving wood and weaving wool.
• From household to livelihood: over the last half century much of that work has been sold through cooperatives and organisations to designers and shops in India and abroad.
• A fast-changing town: since oil was found in the early 2000s, Barmer has grown quickly, with new roads, trucks and hotels for engineers.
• Solar and wind: projects now cover large areas of the desert.
• Why we tread carefully: the change makes the traditional villages more precious, so we visit with care and buy directly from the people who make things.

A short history of Barmer and Mallani

• His fair: Mallinath gives his name to the great cattle fair at Tilwara.
• New rulers: Mallinath's descendants displaced the Parmars, and Rawat Luka made Juna his capital.
• The move: in 1552 Rawat Bhima founded the present town on its current site and moved the capital there.
• Under Marwar: the region later came under the Rathores of Jodhpur, and at independence became a district of Rajasthan.
• On the edge of Sindh: trade, marriage and herding routes once ran freely across what is now the border.
• Shared culture: communities on both sides share languages, music, dress and embroidery styles.
• After 1965 and 1971: many families crossed from Sindh and settled in Barmer's villages, bringing their own stitching traditions, part of why Barmer's textiles are so rich today.

The temples of Kiradu

• Still covered in carving: rows of elephants and horses at the base, then warriors, musicians, dancers, gods and scenes from the epics, with loving couples among them.
• Not a copy of anywhere: some writers call Kiradu the Khajuraho of Rajasthan because of those couples, but the comparison undersells it. The style is its own.
• The record: historians date the temples to the eleventh and twelfth centuries, though they differ on the details.
• A governor named: an inscription of 1152 records that Alhana, a Chahamana ruler serving the Chaulukya kings of Gujarat, was appointed governor of Kiradu.
• Raid and repair: an inscription of 1178 records repairs to a temple damaged by Turkish raiders, identified with the Ghurids.
• Maru-Gurjara: the architecture belongs to the western Indian style that also produced the marble temples of Ranakpur and Mount Abu.
• The legend: villagers say a sage once cursed the town, and that anyone who stays after dark will turn to stone.
• Its effect: it keeps visitors away at night and adds to the eerie stillness by day.
• No facilities: we bring water, shade and a picnic breakfast.

Appliqué and embroidery, the craft of the courtyard

• What it becomes: bold, geometric, joyful bedspreads, quilts, wall hangings, cushion covers and wedding canopies.
• A dowry craft: traditionally a mother made them for her daughter's dowry.
• Meghwal embroidery: women of the Meghwal community, many of whose families settled here after 1965 and 1971, are celebrated for dense, colourful work in silk and cotton thread.
• Mirrors and beads: often set with tiny mirrors, beads and sequins.
• Reading a bag: different groups use different stitches, and an experienced eye can tell a woman's community, sometimes her village, from her stitches.
• An essential income: organisations such as the Gramin Vikas Evam Chetna Sansthan, a long-established non-profit in Barmer district, organise thousands of women artisans.
• What they do: supply materials, set quality standards and sell to Indian and international buyers.
• Around the household: women work an hour or three a day around their household and farm work.
• How we visit: time with a group of artisans in their village, the work in progress, and buying directly or through these organisations so the money reaches the women who made the piece.

Ajrakh, the printed cloth of the night sky

• A long process: washing, mordanting, printing with resist pastes, dyeing, washing again and repeating, all depending on sun, water and the printer's judgement.
• The Khatris: in Barmer the craft belongs to this community of printers and dyers.
• The old way survives: screen printing has crept in, but some Khatri families still print by hand and dye with natural colours, partly for traditional buyers who still wear ajrakh.
• A morning to remember: watching blocks come down on the cloth and dyed lengths drying in the sun is one of the best things you can do in the district.
• Across the border: compare it with the related traditions of Kutch on our Rajasthan and Kutch journey.
• For textile lovers: see our textile and craft trail.

The Rabari, the Meghwal and the families of the desert

The Manganiyar and Langa heartland

• The Langas: their villages lie largely in Barmer district, and they sang for Muslim Sindhi Sipahi patrons, with the Sindhi sarangi as their signature instrument.
• Shared rhythm: both play the dholak drum and the wooden khartal clappers.
• A wide repertoire: Hindu devotional songs, Sufi poetry, love ballads and songs of the desert.
• Komal Kothari: from the late 1970s the Jodhpur folklorist helped these musicians perform beyond their villages, and they have since played stages around the world.
• Patronage today: the old system has weakened, and many families depend on tourism and festivals.
• How we arrange it: evenings in their own villages or in a courtyard. We pay them properly and directly, and let them choose the songs.
• Read and listen: our guides to the Manganiyar singers and folk music and dance, and the Rajasthan International Folk Festival in Jodhpur each autumn.

What to eat in the Barmer villages

• Winter: raabdi, millet cooked slowly in buttermilk, and khichdi of millet and moth beans.
• Celebrations: ker sangri, the dish of dried berries and khejri beans, with sweet churma.
• Village lunches: we ask the family what they would cook for their own guests, and pay them for the meal.
• At the table: eat with your right hand, accept a second helping at least once, and don't be surprised if the women eat after you.
• In town: simple vegetarian restaurants serve thalis, and roadside stalls sell hot kachoris and sweet milky tea.
• The dishes explained: our Rajasthani food guide.

When to come to Barmer

• Late March: the midday heat is already intense.
• April to June: temperatures regularly pass 45°C, which makes village visits and temple walks exhausting.
• The short monsoon: occasional heavy showers flood low roads but turn the desert briefly green.
• The craft calendar: work continues all year but follows farming. In sowing and harvest weeks women have less time, so the cooler, quieter months are when artisans are most relaxed about visitors.
• Pair a festival: the Desert Festival in Jaisalmer in February.
• The whole state: our guide to the best time to visit Rajasthan.

Where to stay when visiting Barmer

• Or on the transfer: travel between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur via Barmer. It adds a few hours but turns a transfer into the most interesting day of the trip.
• In Jodhpur: Umaid Bhawan Palace and RAAS Jodhpur are our favourite bases.
• On to Gujarat: for textile travellers, Barmer is a natural stop on the way to Kutch. We arrange a clean, comfortable local stay for one night and keep expectations honest.
• The best bases nearby: our guide to luxury hotels in Jaisalmer.

Getting to Barmer and around the district

• Rail or road: Barmer is on the railway, but the drive is more rewarding, and the villages can only be reached by road.
• A border district: carry identity documents. Some areas near the border are restricted.
• Village visits: need a guide who knows the families. We arrange them in advance so the women are expecting you and can set work aside.
• Long desert drives: our guide to road distances and drive times has more detail.

A long day in Barmer, the way we plan it

What we tell friends before Barmer

• Who won't: travellers who want palaces, polished hotels and a full itinerary of monuments will be happier in Jaisalmer or Jodhpur.
• Why: the town is busy and functional, the drives are long and the comfort is simple.
• One day is right: for most guests, with Kiradu at dawn and a village in the afternoon.
• Buy from the makers: or from organisations that pay them fairly. Showroom prices rarely reach the women who did the work.
• Don't bargain hard: over a piece that took months. Ask what it is worth, and pay it.
• Ask before photographing women: and accept a no. Many women in these villages prefer not to be photographed.
• Dress modestly: shoulders and knees covered, and shoes off before entering a home or temple.
• For Kiradu: bring water, sunscreen and a hat. There is no shade and no shop.
• Learn a few words: khamma ghani is the Rajasthani greeting, and a little effort is always met with warmth.
• Allow time: a village visit is not a performance, and the best moments come when you stop looking at your watch.