The history of carpets of Mirzapur

The mountain-rimmed and quaint city of Mirzapur breathe age and history. It's gushing mountains, energetic waterfalls and the crumbling monuments define it. The archaeological artefacts of the city hint that it was inhabited in the palaeolithic age and has been dominated by Mughal and British aristocracy. If you need a weekend getaway and are low on cash, then Mirzapur is the destination you should head towards. The soul searching in amidst Nature is sure to set a new purpose for your life. 

But there’s a lot more to Mirzapur than what meets one’s eyes. Mirzapur has been the hub of utensils and carpets, and rugs for centuries. The art of weaving the carpets has been passed down from generations to generations. Uttar Pradesh has been inhabited by a lot of rulers who patronised art and craft of different varieties. The craftsmen of the yore were skilled and talented. From Marble-inlay work to hand-woven rugs, Uttar Pradesh is the hub of authentic and beautiful items.

The history of hand-woven carpets in India:

Mirzapur was under the dominance of the Mughal sultanate in the 16^th century and that’s when the art of hand-woven rugs was introduced. Emperor Jahangir gave handicrafts in his reign utmost importance. During the reign of Shah Abbas, the carpet industry made a lot of progress and some of his authentic designs are present even now. At that time Agra and Lahore were the leading producers of carpets and rugs which were then exported worldwide.  Later, Agra and Mirzapur became the leading manufacturers of carpets in India. These carpets were mostly based on the Persian designs but due to changing times now, modern patterned carpets are also manufactured.

Habereindia has the authentic Mirzapur carpets and rugs which are inspired by the combination of the Persian and modern designs specially manufactured in Mirzapur. The basic colours of the rugs are ivory, honey beige, soft green and blue-grey. Our carpets also have a dark border for contrast.

The story behind The rug hub of Mirzapur:

There are many stories about the development of Mirzapur as a carpet hub but the most famous tale involves the master weavers of Mughal emperor Akbar, Sheikh Madarullah. Sheikh Madarullah was travelling on the Great Deccan road along with all his other weavers when he was attacked by a band of robbers but the villagers of the Mirzapur village came to his rescue. As a note of thanks, Sheikh Madarullah decided to settle in Mirzapur and teach the art of weaving to the fellow villagers.

The other story is that during the war of 1857, many carpet weavers fled from Agra and took shelter in Mirzapur and began carpet making on a small scale and soon the business boomed.

This is how the skill passed from generation to generation and the carpet weaving boomed. But today, the scenario is different. The carpet weaving industry of Mirzapur has been affected by the wave of poverty and there are only a few shops selling carpets.

Manufacturing of the Handwoven carpets:

The price of the carpets depends on the quality of the yarn and the time taken to weave. Usually, cotton threads are used to weave finer carpets and jute to weave coarser carpets. The carpet weaving style is differentiated by the number of knots. The authentic Mirzapur carpets have 60 knots per square inch. The Mirzapur carpets beat the carpets of Agra in both design and quality.

If you are not planning a trip to Mirzapur and still want the authentic and unique Mirzapur Carpet then you can check out Mirzapur handmade carpets on our site www.habereindia.com and get a beautiful carpet for your home at economical prices.