Rajasthan is among the richest states in the country as far as the field of arts and crafts is concerned. May be it was a result of the war-like lifestyle of the people of Rajasthan which sharpened the creative senses, artistic skills and inspired them to create the most opulent and richest of treasures. Stone, clay, leather, wood, ivory, lac glass, brass, silver, gold and textiles were given the most brilliant forms.

History of Rajasthan reveals that the kings and their nobles were patrons of arts and crafts and they encouraged their craftsmen in activities ranging from wood and marble carving to weaving, pottery and painting. And art seems to have been an obsession with the inhabitants of this parched landscape. The desire to decorate their surroundings was very strong. The horses and elephants that took the warriors to battles received the same care - jeweled saddles and intricate silver howdas were just some of the ornaments that were used to adorn them.

For women there were infinite variety - tie and dye fabrics, embroidered garments, enamel jewellery inlayed with precious and semi-precious stones, leather jootis. They put their lives indoors to very good use by decorating their surroundings - on the walls of their mud-huts were painted geometric designs as well as simple motifs like flowers and birds.

When the Rajputs came to dominate this region, it was a period of constant strife. They were almost always in battle with their neighboring kingdoms. When a kingdom fell and a new ruler took over, it was time for change paintings depicting the new ruler's victory; scenes from the battle and processions of the victorious march were faithfully reproduced on the walls and handmade paper. Other than the paintings, the new rulers also influenced the existing crafts of that area.