Madhya Pradesh is taking its textile heritage beyond the conventional craft market by developing tourism around the places where traditional skills are practised. The state’s craft and handloom tourism model is designed to connect visitors directly with artisan communities, allowing them to see weaving and other processes at source while creating opportunities for local livelihoods. The approach follows the Ministry of Textiles’ wider ‘Linking Textiles with Tourism’ model, which seeks to connect craft clusters with established tourist circuits and enable artisans to sell their work where it is made.
Pranpur, near Chanderi in Ashoknagar district, is the state’s first Craft Handloom Tourism Village and currently the most established stop on this emerging trail. The village is part of the wider chanderi weaving cluster, where looms are often integrated into homes and daily life. A visit to Pranpur is best paired with Chanderi’s historic attractions, including its fort and old town, creating an itinerary that places the textile tradition within its architectural and cultural setting.
The next phase extends the idea towards Maheshwar, another important textile centre known for its lightweight maheshwari saris. Khariya and Keriakhedi villages in the Maheshwar area are home to around 146 weavers and the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board has proposed a textile tourism project that would include an experience centre, homestays, community-run food facilities, cycling routes and improved visitor infrastructure. The proposal was still under consideration by the Ministry of Textiles in 2024 and should therefore be viewed as an emerging destination rather than an established craft village.
The third strand of the state’s craft tourism plans centres on Bagh printing in Dhar district. Bagh and Kukshi are associated with the traditional hand-block printing technique, which uses carved wooden blocks and natural colours derived from plant and mineral sources. Madhya Pradesh Tourism has been working to strengthen the connection between the printing community and visitors.
Together, these initiatives point towards a different way of experiencing Madhya Pradesh’s craft heritage. Instead of simply buying a chanderi sari, a maheshwari weave or a piece of Bagh print in a city showroom, travellers can follow the work back to the communities and techniques that sustain it. Pranpur can be combined with Chanderi’s heritage circuit, Maheshwar with its Narmada ghats and Ahilya-era architecture, while the Bagh region can be explored alongside the archaeological landscape of the Bagh Caves. The result is a travel itinerary where the craft is not a souvenir at the end of the journey but part of the destination itself.
