Rugs and Rajasthan, a long story
A court taste: the Rajput courts, like the Mughals, collected fine Persian and Indian carpets for their palaces. You can still see them in the Albert Hall Museum and the palace collections.
Desert wool: Bikaner has long been one of the great wool markets of the Thar, trading the fleece of desert sheep, and it is known for hand-knotted carpets and durries.
- The court carpet
- Persian garden carpet, dated 1632, Albert Hall Museum
- Wool country
- Bikaner and the Thar, for desert sheep
- Durrie village
- Salawas, about half an hour south of Jodhpur
- Big maker
- Jaipur Rugs, founded 1978
- India's carpet belt
- Bhadohi and Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh
- The village loom: in the villages around Jodhpur, families weave durries, flat cotton and wool rugs, on pit looms dug into their courtyards.
- The modern trade: Jaipur Rugs, founded in 1978 by Nand Kishore Chaudhary with a handful of weavers, now works with a very large network of village weavers across India.
- Not all woven here: many rugs sold in Jaipur are woven in the carpet belt of Bhadohi and Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh. That is fine, but a shop should tell you.
- Agra too: the villages around Agra have long woven hand-knotted carpets and durries in Mughal and Persian patterns.
The three kinds of rug, and why it matters
Hand-knotted
How it is made: a weaver ties each knot of pile by hand around the warp threads on a vertical loom, row by row, then beats it down and trims it.
- Time: a large, fine rug can take a team of weavers many months.
- Why it costs more: labour. It lasts for generations, can be washed and repaired, and often looks better with age.
Hand-tufted
How it is made: yarn is punched through a cloth backing with a hand-held tufting gun, then glued with latex and covered with a second backing cloth.
- Time: days rather than months. Much cheaper.
- The catch: it is not knotted, it lasts years rather than generations, and the glue can break down and smell. It is a perfectly good rug if sold honestly.
Flat-woven durrie
How it is made: no pile at all. The coloured weft threads are woven tightly through the warp to make the pattern, on a horizontal or pit loom.
- Why we love them: light, reversible, washable and inexpensive. A good durrie from Salawas is heavy and flat, and the back mirrors the front.
- Where: Salawas near Jodhpur, Bikaner and many villages around Jaipur.
How to read the back of a rug
The pattern shows through: on a hand-knotted rug, the design is clearly visible on the back, slightly blurred, with every knot visible in rows.
A cloth backing: a canvas or felt cloth covering the back almost always means hand-tufted. Lift a corner if it is loose and look for glue.
- Hand-knotted back
- Pattern clearly visible, tiny knots in rows
- Tufted back
- Plain cloth covering, often glued
- Machine-made back
- Perfectly regular, stiff, often a grid
- Fringe
- Part of the warp, or sewn on?
- Too perfect: a back where every knot is identical and the rows are machine-straight usually means machine-made.
- Small irregularities: slight variations in knot size and the odd crooked row are the signature of a human hand. They are not faults.
- The fringe: on a hand-knotted rug, the fringe is the ends of the warp threads, part of the rug's skeleton. A fringe sewn onto the edge suggests tufted or machine-made.
- The sides: the edges of a hand-knotted rug are overcast by hand, usually in wool. Look for neat, tight binding.
- The smell: a tufted rug's latex can smell sharp or chemical. A good wool rug smells of wool.
Knots, wool, silk and dye
Knot density
What it is: the number of knots in a square inch or a square centimetre. More knots allow finer, more detailed patterns.
- How to check: count the knots along an inch on the back, horizontally and vertically, and multiply. Ask the seller to write the figure on the receipt.
- Perspective: denser is not always better. A bold tribal design looks right with fewer, larger knots.
Wool
Hand-spun: slightly uneven yarn that gives a soft, living surface. More expensive and much loved by collectors.
- Indian and blended wools: Indian wool, including wool from the Thar, is often blended with imported wool for softness.
- Feel it: good wool is springy and slightly oily from its natural lanolin. Dry, rough wool will shed and wear.
Silk, and what is called silk
Real silk: fine, strong and lustrous, used in very fine rugs or for highlights in wool rugs. Expensive.
- Art silk and bamboo silk: usually viscose, a man-made fibre. Shiny and soft at first, but it wears badly and marks with water.
- Ask in writing: is this silk, and what kind? Write the answer on the receipt.
Dyes and abrash
Vegetable dyes: from plants such as indigo and madder, giving soft, deep colours that age gently. Many good rugs use them.
- Synthetic dyes: modern chrome dyes are stable and colourfast, and perfectly respectable. Ask which you are buying.
- Abrash: gentle bands of colour where batches of dyed wool differ. In a hand-knotted rug, it is prized, not a fault.
Reading the patterns
The garden carpet: a rug divided into beds and water channels, like a Mughal garden seen from above. The 1632 carpet in the Albert Hall is the great example.
The medallion: a large central medallion with corner pieces and a wide border, the classic Persian court layout. Common in fine Jaipur and Agra rugs.
- The all-over pattern: flowers, vines or small motifs repeated across the whole field without a centre. Easy to place in any room.
- The mihrab: an arch at one end, from the prayer rug tradition. Treat it with respect, and don't use it as a doormat.
- Village and tribal designs: bold geometry, stripes and simple animals, often on durries. These are the patterns of Rajasthan's own villages.
- Contemporary designs: abstract, faded or minimal rugs made for modern interiors, often hand-knotted with old techniques. Many makers in Jaipur now specialise in them.
- Borders: the border frames the rug. A clumsy border, with corners that don't turn neatly, is a sign of hurried work.
Before you go, and who it suits
Collectors: antique and fine rugs need specialist dealers and time. Tell us in advance and we will arrange appointments.
Designers and decorators: many makers in Jaipur weave to order for interiors abroad. We can arrange a visit to discuss sizes, colours and timelines.
- Bring
- Room measurements and photographs
- Allow
- A full morning, without hurry
- Decide
- Your rough budget before the tea arrives
- Know
- Your home country's import duty
- First-time buyers: start with a durrie. It is inexpensive, light to carry and a good way to learn what you like.
- Families: children enjoy seeing a loom more than a showroom. A village visit is the better morning.
- Not for: anyone with a few minutes on the way to the airport. Give a rug the time it took someone to weave it, or at least a morning.
The carpet factory trap
How it works: a driver or guide earns a commission, often large, on whatever you buy in certain showrooms. It is built into your price.
The theatre: the unrolling of dozens of rugs is designed to make you feel obliged. You are not.
- The switch: the rug that arrives months later is not always the one you chose. Our London friend learned that.
- The special price: a price for today only, a discount if you pay cash, a sale ending tomorrow. All are pressure.
- The fix: choose your shop yourself, or let us introduce you to makers and dealers we know. Our guides are paid never to take commissions.
- Say no kindly: if a driver insists on a stop, say firmly that you have your own shop. Our money and tipping guide covers this kind of pressure.
Where we take guests to buy
Jaipur Rugs
- What it is: a Jaipur company founded in 1978 by Nand Kishore Chaudhary, which began with a few looms and now works with weavers in villages across India.
- Why go: a wide range of hand-knotted rugs, from traditional to contemporary, with the provenance explained. We can sometimes arrange a visit to a village loom.
Durrie weavers of Salawas
- What it is: a village about half an hour south of Jodhpur where families weave flat cotton and wool durries on pit looms in their courtyards.
- Why go: you see the loom, meet the weaver and buy directly. A Salawas durrie is heavy, flat and reversible. Pair it with the Bishnoi villages.
Bikaner
- What it is: the old wool city of the Thar, known for hand-knotted carpets, durries and wool shawls.
- Why go: for wool rugs from the desert country. Our Bikaner guide has more.
Established Jaipur dealers
- What they are: long-established family dealers in hand-knotted rugs, old and new, whom we have known for years.
- How we choose them: written descriptions, honest answers about origin, no pressure and no commission to us or our guides.
What to ask, and what to get in writing
Is it new or old? Antique and semi-antique rugs are a specialist field. Ask for the approximate date, and be sceptical of any very old rug offered cheaply.
Where was it woven? Jaipur, a Rajasthani village, Bhadohi or somewhere else. All are honest answers.
- Size
- In feet and centimetres, measured in front of you
- Construction
- Hand-knotted, hand-tufted or flat-woven
- Materials
- Pile and foundation, with silk stated precisely
- Density
- Knots per square inch or centimetre
- Origin
- Where it was woven, and roughly when
- What dyes? Vegetable, synthetic or a mix.
- Has it been washed or treated? Some rugs are chemically washed to look softer or older. That can weaken the wool.
- Who made it? A good maker can often tell you which village or cluster of weavers it came from.
- Child labour: ask how the maker ensures no children were employed. Some rugs carry a GoodWeave label, a certification against child labour.
- Photograph the rug and its back: before it is rolled and packed, with the label and the receipt in the frame.
Measuring, choosing and living with it
Measure first: the floor, and where the furniture stands. Rugs in India are usually sized in feet, so note both feet and metres.
Leave a border: in a living room, a rug usually looks best with some floor showing around it, and the front legs of the sofa on it.
- Runners: long narrow rugs for corridors and stairs are easy to carry and easy to love.
- Photograph your room: a dealer can help far better with a photograph of the space and the colours already in it.
- Ask about a trial: some good dealers will let you take a rug to your hotel room overnight to see it in daylight.
- Custom rugs: many makers will weave a rug to your size and colours. Expect it to take months, and agree the design, size and materials in writing.
Getting it home
Carry small ones: a durrie or a small rug folds or rolls into a suitcase and is the simplest souvenir to take home.
Ship the rest: insured, tracked shipping, arranged by us or a dealer we trust. Get the tracking details before you leave Jaipur.
- Never trust a stranger to post it: if you didn't choose the shop, don't let it ship for you.
- Mark your rug: some guests sign or photograph a label on the back before it is packed, so they know it is the same rug when it arrives.
- Customs at home: your country may charge import duty and tax on arrival. Check before you buy, and keep the receipt to hand.
- Timing: sea freight is slower and cheaper, air faster and dearer. Ask both prices.
Caring for a rug from Rajasthan
Rotate it: turn the rug every six months or so, so it wears and fades evenly.
Vacuum gently: without a beater bar on fine rugs, and never against the pile or along the fringe.
- Mind the sun: strong sun fades natural dyes. Keep a fine rug out of direct sunlight or use blinds.
- Spills: blot, never rub, and use cold water. For anything serious, call a specialist cleaner.
- Wash properly: have a hand-knotted rug washed by a specialist every few years. Durries can often be washed at home in cold water.
- Use a pad: a rug pad stops slipping and reduces wear on the back.
Fitting a rug hunt into your journey
In Jaipur: start at the Albert Hall Museum's carpet gallery, then visit a maker or dealer we know. Our Jaipur itinerary fits it into a day.
Around Jodhpur: the durrie weavers of Salawas pair with the Bishnoi villages and Rohet Garh for a morning of village crafts.
- In Bikaner: wool rugs and shawls with a visit to Junagarh Fort.
- On a craft journey: our textile and craft trail links weavers, printers and dyers across Rajasthan.
- Other crafts: our block printing and crafts page and shopping guide cover what else to buy and how.
- Fair dealing: read how we work with makers in travelling responsibly.