Bikaneri Camel-Leather Craft
Water flasks of scraped camel hide, lacquered gold and painted with courtly scenes.
Bikaner in the Thar desert is known for objects made from camel hide — slender-necked flasks (kupi), bottles, vases, boxes, trays, mirror frames and lampshades — that are moulded to shape, lacquered, and painted in the Usta style with fine gold and colour ornament of flowers, hunting scenes, portraits and Mughal-derived arabesque. The thin hide is naturally translucent, so a lamp placed inside a painted flask turns it into a small glowing lantern. The same gilding-and-painting technique also covers palace ceilings and walls in the city.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Bikaner, Rajasthan
Also Known As
Usta kala, manoti-naqqashi, Bikaner gold-embossed leather, kupi craft
Craft Type
Moulded and painted camel-hide craft (kupi / usta work)
Practising Community
The Usta (Muslim naqqash) community of Bikaner, a small number of families
Materials
Camel hide; clay and wood moulds; lac and modern clear lacquers; gesso for the relief; gold leaf and shell gold; and mineral and synthetic paints and varnish.
Known For
Lacquered camel-leather flasks, vases, boxes and lampshades with gold naqqashi painting
Where It's Made
Bikaner city, Rajasthan — the Usta Mohalla and the workshops around the fort and Junagarh
Time to Create
One to three weeks per piece
GI Status
Usta Kala (Bikaner) is a registered GI of Rajasthan
Process Steps
Preparing the hide
Camel hide is cleaned of hair and flesh, soaked until pliable, and cut to the size the object needs.
Moulding to shape
The soaked hide is drawn tight over a clay or wooden form and dried hard so it holds the shape rigidly.
Trimming and sealing
The hardened form is released from the mould, trimmed to a clean edge, and sealed to close the pores.
Lacquering the ground
A smooth lacquer ground is built up over the sealed hide as the base for the painting.
Building the relief (manoti)
Where the design requires it, raised ornament is modelled on the surface in gesso before gilding.
Gilding and painting (naqqashi)
The Usta artist gilds the raised areas and paints fine floral and figurative designs in colour and shell gold.
Varnishing
A clear protective varnish is applied over the finished decoration.
Technique Glossary
Kupi
The characteristic long-necked camel-hide flask of Bikaner.
Usta
The Bikaner community of naqqash painters who specialise in gold-embossed decoration.
Manoti
Low-relief gesso work raised on a surface and then gilded.
Naqqashi
The fine painted ornament — floral, arabesque and figurative — worked over a lacquered or gilded ground.
Shell gold
Powdered gold bound in gum, painted on and then burnished to a metallic shine.
Munnabatti
A related technique of raised gilded relief used on the interiors of Bikaner's palaces.
Lac ground
A lacquer coating built up over the hide as the smooth base for painting.
A Craft Through Time
16th–17th century
Usta painters arrive
Bikaner's rulers bring naqqash families from Multan and Lahore to decorate the fort and palaces.
17th–19th century
Gilding the everyday
The Usta style is applied to camel-hide vessels, making them courtly objects and diplomatic gifts.
20th century
Craft promotion
State emporia, awards and a design centre try to keep the small community of practitioners working.
1980s–90s
Master recognition
Usta masters receive national honours for the palace decoration and the leatherwork.
2000s
Geographical Indication
Usta Kala of Bikaner is registered as a GI of Rajasthan.
Present
A fragile craft
Only a handful of Usta families continue the painting; training centres try to pass it on.
Did You Know?
Bikaneri camel-hide lampshades are prized because the thin hide is naturally translucent — lit from within, a painted flask turns into a small stained-glass lantern.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.