Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh will inaugurate the revamped “Handloom Haat: The Handloom Experience Centre” at Janpath, New Delhi, on August 14, marking a new initiative to create a distinctive destination for experiencing and promoting India’s rich handloom heritage.
The re-envisioned centre will bring together heritage, knowledge, contemporary design, enterprise and retail under one roof. It has been designed to showcase India’s handloom ecosystem while giving visitors an opportunity to understand the materials, techniques, processes and stories behind handwoven textiles.
The inaugural showcase will feature 24 award-winning weavers through an exhibition organised by the National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC), along with more than 30 curated brands participating through the fifth edition of Weave The Future.
The Weave The Future 5.0 showcase, spread across the ground and first floors, will bring together weavers, designers, brands, researchers and other stakeholders to promote sustainable, circular and craft-led approaches to textiles. The exhibition will highlight contemporary products developed using handloom and regenerative materials, with emphasis on indigenous fibres, material innovation and responsible textile practices.
The centre will also provide greater visibility and market access to weavers and handloom enterprises, with its retail component designed to go beyond conventional shopping by highlighting the diversity and contemporary relevance of Indian handlooms.
Three floors showcasing India’s textile traditions
The three-floor centre will offer visitors a curated experience covering different aspects of India’s handloom ecosystem.
The ground floor will host a temporary exhibition titled “Reimagining Odisha Weaves – Cloth | Craft | Creativity | Community”, presented by Vriksh Designs. The exhibition will demonstrate how contemporary design can help revitalise regional textile traditions through collaborations between designers and master weavers.
It will showcase the revival of lesser-known Odisha traditions, including Ganjam Bomkai and Dhalapathar Tapestry, along with innovations in Ikat, Jaala and Phoda weaving. Natural dyes, new colourways, textures, motifs and product forms will also be featured.
The first floor will house the Visvakarma Gallery, a permanent exhibition featuring rare textiles from the landmark Visvakarma exhibition series held between 1981 and 1991. The series brought together weavers, designers, scholars and cultural patrons to explore India’s diverse handloom traditions.
The gallery will also honour Sant Kabir Award and Padma Shri awardees, recognising practitioners whose contributions have helped expand the practice, understanding and visibility of Indian handlooms.
The second floor will feature a Design Conclave and an immersive experience inspired by India’s forests. Visitors will be taken on a visual and sensory journey showcasing animal, bird, floral and other natural motifs found across India’s diverse handloom traditions.
Focus on heritage, innovation and enterprise
The Handloom Experience Centre is intended to strengthen the visibility and market presence of Indian handlooms while creating new opportunities for weavers, designers and handloom businesses.
By combining traditional knowledge with contemporary design, retail and public engagement, the centre seeks to establish a stronger connection between India’s handloom communities and modern consumers.
The inauguration on August 14 will mark the beginning of a new chapter for Handloom Haat at Janpath, positioning it as a destination where visitors can see, understand and experience India’s living textile heritage while discovering its contemporary possibilities.
