Mahabalipuram Tour Package

On our Colouricious textile tour to Southern India, take you on a Mahabalipuram tour, including a guide of the Shore Temple.

The Shore Temple was built in 700–728 AD. It got its name because it overlooks the shore of the Bay of Bengal. It is a temple built with blocks of granite. At the time of its creation, the village was a busy port. It is one of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, it has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. It is one of the oldest structural stone temples of South India. It is situated in Mahabalipuram, Southern India.

The Shore Temple on a map

Our Mahabalipuram tour package means you will be able to visit the amazing Shore temple and Bas relief carvings. We also take you to a number of other locations in southern India, showing you an amazing array of textile printing and production techniques.

Our Mahabalipuram tour package adds even more excitement to our Colouricious Southern India Textile tour and will introduce you to another aspect of Indian culture and design.

Learn more about the Shore Temple.

You will love our Colouricious textile tour to Southern India to come on our Mahabalipuram tour! Everyone who loves textile art will love this tour!

Have a look at our other textile tours, perfect for everyone who is in love with arts and crafts!

Mahabalipuram Tour Package

Wax Print

Wax print or Batik originated in India. The word batik actually means ‘wax writing’.

To decorate cloth by wax print you have to cover a part of the cloth with a coat of wax and then dye the cloth. When the wax is removed the contrast between the dyed and undyed areas makes the pattern, as the waxed areas keep their original colour.
The beauty of wax print is its simplicity. Some of the best effects in batik are often achieved by chance. Batik is very popular in southern India and is an amazing way of printing fabric.

Wax print is an amazing way of textile design and you will be able to experience it up close on our Colouricious textile tour to Southern India. You will be able to try it out for yourself when you get home, and achieve some amazing results. Wax print designs come in a large range of colours and patterns and you will be amazed when you see the whole textile printing process.

You will love our Colouricious textile tour to Southern India to see wax print up close! Everyone who loves textile art will love this!

Have a look at our other textile tours, perfect for everyone who is in love with arts and crafts!

Wax Print

Weaving

Weaving is an amazing method of textile production where two sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. In India the most popular materials used are cotton and silk. Weaving can be used to make so much – rugs, dresses or even blankets!

 

Come on our Colouricious textile tour to India! You will have the chance to see some beautiful weaving of rugs and sarees, and purchase some of the most beautiful hand woven textiles! Indian rugs are amazingly designed and come in a large array of colours. You will be able to take a textile course in weaving and see first hand what it looks like to make a silk sari. You will also have the chance to buy handwoven blankets and bed linen. Southern India has a fabulous array of textiles and is any textile-lovers paradise! Weaving is an amazing method of textile production, and this is an amazing opportunity!

You will love our Colouricious textile tour to Southern India to see weaving up close! Everyone who loves textile art will love this!

Have a look at our other textile tours, perfect for everyone who is in love with arts and crafts!

Weaving

Textile Printing

Textile Printing

Textile printing can be done in a number of different ways and using wooden block prints you can come up with some fabulous designs! From gecko prints to paisley, there is something for everyone! Whether you want to make a tea towel or a dress, textile printing can brighten anything up!

On our textile holiday to Jaipur you will be able to learn about many different textile printing techniques, so that you will be able to go home and try all the techniques out yourself!

You will see carpenters producing blocks in person, and see where we get our printing blocks from! This trip is for everyone who loves textile art, especially textile printing!

Textile printing is for everyone and can be enjoyed by people of any age. There are block prints for everyone, no matter what age or skill! Come on this trip to see the amazing prints being produced and further your textile art skills and knowledge. You will come away from this trip loving textile printing even more!

You have to take a look at the Colouricious block printing textile holiday to Jaipur, a holiday ideal for everyone who loves textile printing! You’ll be able to see the whole process of fabric design and block printing first hand. It is an extremely interesting and inspiring experience!

Why not take a look at the wide range of printing blocks available at our Colouricious shop? Here you can not only browse our fabulous collection of wooden printing blocks, but learn how to use them with your fabric printing!

Take a look at our other Colouricious textile tours. They will be equally as amazing for any fabric design enthusiast, we offer so many destinations – from the Golden Triangle in India to a trip through Vietnam, or even Houston, Texas in the USA!

Textile Printing

Fabric Printing Techniques

Fabric Printing Techniques

On our Colouricious block printing holiday you will be able to learn from the many different fabric printing techniques you will get to see. This trip is perfect for every fan of block printing since you will be able to see such a large range of fabric printing techniques. From block printing to Dabu printing, this holiday is amazing. The vibrant colours and fabulously detailed designs of the fabric printing will have you so inspired, so that when you get home you too will be able to try out these fabric printing techniques! The fabric printing industry in India is so exciting and you will get to witness such an interesting part of it on our Colouricious block printing holiday to India this December. You will be personally escorted to many fabric printing workshops and be able to learn and understand a wide range of new fabric techniques.

      

  

You will find the Colouricious block printing holiday perfect if you love arts and crafts!

Take a look at some of our other Colouricious textile holidays available.

You can find some amazingly designed Colouricious block prints in our shop.

Fabric Printing Techniques

Golden Triangle India - Barmer

Golden Triangle India – Barmer

Camel Riding, Thar Desert

Barmer is the second largest district of Rajasthan, and a part of the Thar Desert, otherwise known as the Great Indian Desert, within the Golden Triangle India.

Barmer on a map of Rajasthan

Similarly to all the other districts in the Thar desert region, Barmer is famous for its folk music and dance, and arts and crafts products.

The city is well known for its fabulous wood carvings, carved wooden furniture and magnificent hand block printed textiles. Sadat Bazaar is the main centre for buying embroidered clothes as well as carpets, pottery, intricate embroidered fabric and pouches, rugs, blankets and shawls , and will be an exciting spot for you if you come on our Colouricious textile tours in the Golden Triangle.

       

Come on our Colouricious textile holiday to Rajasthan to discover and explore the amazing area of Barmer!

Explore our other available Colouricious textile holidays.

Learn more about Barmer

Golden Triangle India - Barmer

Golden Triangle Tour India - Jaisalmer

Golden Triangle Tour – Jaisalmer

The fort of Jaisalmer is a breathtaking sight, located a few hundred miles west of Jaipur, it is nicknamed the “Golden City” due to it’s beautiful architecture all carved from the same magnificent golden-honey sandstone – and is the perfect place for any arts and crafts lover on their Golden Triangle Tour. Inside you will find shops teeming in bright embroideries, a royal palace and numerous businesses ready and waiting to barter you a good price for their handmade crafts. Behind the magnificent walls, particularly to the north, the narrow streets of the old city conceal magnificent havelis (Indian mansions) also carved from the golden-honey sandstone.

     

A city that has been revived to its former glory in the past half-century, Jaisalmer may be remote but it is in no way a forgotten city– it is actually one of Rajasthan’s biggest tourist destinations. Jaisalmer is a much more laid-back, hassle-free place to stay than many other destinations on your Golden Triangle tour.

Jaisalmer on a map of Rajasthan

Come on our Colouricious textile holiday to Rajasthan to discover and explore this spectacular city!

Explore our other available Colouricious textile holidays.

Learn more about Jaisalmer

Golden Triangle Tour India - Jaisalmer

Cat Tien National Park

Cat Tien National Park – Vietnam Holidays

Cat Tien National Park - Forest Floor Lodge is an eco lodge hotel ideal if you are going to Vietnam on your holidays. This ecotourism lodge is in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam. This is one of Vietnam’s most important national parks which is still home to some of the worlds most critically endangered wildlife. There are a wide range of activities available, from guided treks through the forest to walks across local paths, you may also love to see the bear sanctuary and the crocodile lake, all in easy walking distance from the Forest Floor Eco Lodge. This eco lodge hotel is situated by a river amidst the wildlife of the forest, sitting on the veranda you will be serenaded by the howls of the gibbons. The rooms in the hotel are made of local products, such as larva rock used for the tiles and the shower floor. Each of the beds have a very romantic feel with their mosquito nets – even though we did not actually see any mosquitos or any other insects in fact! This eco lodge hotel is run by Mai Bateman and her husband Roy. Roy is an entomologist who loves sharing his knowledge of the jungle. The food is plentiful and tasty, cooked by a couple of local chefs who seem to get a fabulous balance between local ethnic food with a touch of western cuisine thrown in. Really delicious, especially the local bananas that are small and sweet.

Learn more about our Colouricious textile holiday to Vietnam.

Colouricious hosts many different wonderful textile holidays – check out Colouricious textile holidays.

Cat Tien National Park

An Invitation to Rajasthan

We cover a lot of ground when we go on our tour of Rajasthan. We have calculated that the tour is approximately 1.735km over a 14 day period. There is inevitably a lot to see and take in on a trip like this, but we organise it in this way to make sure you get to experience as much of this wonderful region as possible.

If the highlight of the tour is the visit to the Pushkar Camel Fair, then the underlying delight is the variety of sights and sounds you get to experience as we travel through the region stopping at places like Delhi, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Pushkar, Barmer, Ajmer and Jaipur the capital of the region.

The Region

Rajasthan is the largest region of India and is located in the North West of the Country. The state was formed in 1949 after India gained its independence from The UK. The majority of the region is covered by the Thar Desert, but it also has some wonderful areas of natural beauty including two tiger reserves and the Keoladeo National Park which is a World Heritage Site well-known for its bird life. Our tour flies into Delhi where we spend a couple of days before entering Rajasthan on its eastern border. We then travel predominantly westwards through Bikaner, Pokran to Jaisalmer. A turn to the south towards Barmer and then Eastwards through Ajmer and Jaipur before heading back to Delhi.

Whilst the tour is focussed on the textile arts and crafts of the region, it is impossible not to be amazed and astounded by the sights and sounds of the whole region. Even though the desert covers a lot of the region don’t be mistaken into thinking that everything will look the same. You will get to see some wonderful flora and fauna and Rajasthan is renowned for its national parks and sanctuaries.

The Culture

The other beauty of the region and India in general is the wonderful culture of the country. The people of the region embrace their history and tradition which reflect the ancient Indian way of life and this manifests itself in the textile crafts, music and dance that you will see on this tour. You will get to see lots of traditional colourful art mainly produced using block printing, tie and dye printing and intricate embroidery styles, all of which are major exports from Rajasthan.

The People

At the end of the day though, it is the people that make this tour so special. The warmth of the welcome and the kindness and patience they show to the people on our tour is endearing and really makes you feel as if you are part of their family. We have built up good friendships and relationships over the time we have travelled to Rajasthan and you will definitely benefit from our knowledge and past experiences to ensure that this trip to Rajasthan really will be your trip of a lifetime.

If this synopsis of the tour has whetted your appetite to go on the tour, then head over to our website and reserve your place. We are off to Rajasthan in November and would love for you to join us.

An Invitation to Rajasthan

Hmong Arts and Crafts

Hmong Arts and Crafts

Hmong Tribe Arts and Crafts

The Hmong people are an ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China. Their history is somewhat difficult to trace but it is believed that they originated in the mountains of the Yellow River before migrating South in search of more arable land to farm. The Hmong people are now in Vietnam, Thailand and Laos as well as China.

The Hmong people are famous for their intricate textile art which comprises bold geometric patterns often in bright contrasting colours. Sub cultures of the Hmong people, not surprisingly, associate themselves with different patterns and techniques when it comes to their textile art designs. White Hmong are usually associated with reverse applique while the Green Hmong are more likely to be seen using batik.

As is common with many textile arts that have been handed down over the centuries, the Hmong designs are often referred to as story cloths, and represent stories from Hmong history and folklore handed down through the family.

The textile art and embroidery techniques are an important part of the Hmong people way of life and visitors can go to the Hmong villages to watch the work and children at work creating their intricate designs.

You can see the Hmong crafts and people in this video we took when we last visited Vietnam. It was a truly wonderful experience.

Colouricious are organising another trip to Vietnam in October and on this trip you will get the opportunity to visit a Hmong village and watch these wonderful fabrics being created. It is a truly wonderful thing to watch and experience and one that will create memories that will last a lifetime. If you are interested in joining us on our trip, then please visit our website and download the booking form. Send the form back to Colouricious and your place will be reserved on this wonderful trip. We would love for you to join us, we know that you will not be disappointed.

Hmong Arts and Crafts

Weaving - contemporary & traditional natural rugs

Weaving contemporary and traditional natural rugs in India

watch this video to see how beautiful rugs are hand woven in India, usually natural hand dyed wools.

Learn more about Colouricious Textile Holidays

Weaving - contemporary & traditional natural rugs