Craft in Architecture: Wood Carving of Saurashtra, Gujarat

Wood has been fashioned in many ways to produce a large range of crafts in Gujarat. Architectural elements, furniture, blocks for textile printing have been the most common use of woodcraft in Gujarat. Most traditional brackets called Jharukhos, which are sometimes also built in stone, have intricate work of wood carving. There are symbolic overtones in the carving of different wooden elements. Both floral and geometrical motifs are used on various elements of the wooden pillars, ceilings, etc. The use of wood is minimal in contemporary architecture in Gujarat. Traditional households, however, still share a deep interest in the wooden elements.