The Thar desert shapes the cultural heritage of western districts of Rajasthan in India. Rajasthan is a potpourri of several performing arts and handicraft traditions. A series of nine festivals are being held between 10 September and 20 November, 2022 to showcase the living heritages. This is planned as a part of a project by the Department of Tourism of the Government of Rajasthan and UNESCO for strengthening ICH based cultural tourism (https://youtu.be/WiZ1OZVqVmc). We find the Langas, Manganiyars and Mirs, folk musician communities in these rolling sand dunes, who have been practicing music since generation. The tradition bearers of the vibrant Kalbelia dance, enlisted in the UNESCO’s Representative List of Heritage of Humanity, emulating the movements of snake, also live here. The colorful hand-embroidered attire of the dancers together with their customary musical instruments make Kalbelia a captivating folk art form. Rajasthan is also the abode to intricate handcrafted wonders like Durries, Jutti and Kasidakari, Appliqué and pottery. While Durries are hand woven rugs of everyday use, Jutti refers to handcrafted leather footwear and Appliqué and Kasidakari are two distinct traditions of needlework pursued by the women of this region. The hand carved pottery of Pokaran village has been accredited with the tag of Geographical Indication (GI) .
