India is a land of exotic art and crafts mixed with our colorful customs and traditions. With a rich cultural heritage, the history of Indian handicrafts dates back to the Indus Valley civilization. Handicrafts are rightly considered specialized skills passed on from generation to generation. Whether they are sculptures, paintings, jewelry, or textiles, Indian artisans have managed to create a range of masterpieces in different shapes, designs, patterns, and colors. Handicrafts made of wood occupy a prominent place among all. It is believed that some craftsmen engaged in woodcraft descended from Kashmir during the Mughal period and settled down in the town of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. It is from here the art of making wooden handicrafts gained popularity and achieved its present name and fame.

Wooden handicrafts include a wide range of wooden items carved by skilled artisans adding both utilitarian and artistic value to them. These handicrafts reflect matchless workmanship, fine designs, delicate styles, and exclusive appeal. India being a land of diverse flora and fauna, there is no dearth of the basic raw material (wood) required by woodcraft artists. A large amount of wood from our forests like bamboo, teak, Sheesham, deodar, ebony, mahogany, oak, sal, sandalwood, redwood, rosewood, cedar, are used in producing exclusive pieces of furniture and decorative items.

The fine decorative carvings and woodwork in the form of jaali work, finely carved screens and vine leaf pattern reflect Kashmiri designs in most of the products from Saharanpur. Wooden handicrafts of India are known for both utility and beauty. Besides the wooden furniture items, beautiful toys, photo frames, decorative dolls, wall hangings, pots and vases, showpiece, etc. are extremely popular. Artisans from Saharanpur put a lot of hard work and dedication to carve a piece of wood and make something exquisite from it. The patterns, figures and details engraved are intricate and all have a different story to tell. Each handmade piece is unique in itself. Different pieces of wooden artwork in forms of figures, sculptures are made by the talented artisans of our country. The most common types of techniques used for making wooden handicrafts are Wood Carving, Marquetry, and Intarsia.