Directorate of Handicrafts & Handloom is the recent name given to the old Handloom and Handicrafts Centre of Sikkim which was set up in 1957. The museum is located at a distance of half kilometre from the main market of Gangtok. It is also known as the Government Institute of Cottage Industries (GICI). The museum was founded during the reign of the Chogyals of Sikkim. The museum started with the intention to preserve and promote the art and craft skills of the local artisans.
The museum is an authentic warehouse of traditional handicraft and handloom. It houses handwoven carpets with traditional motifs, blankets, shawls (in Lepcha weaves), graceful 'choktse', 'thangka' paintings, hand-painted masks, dolls, and many other objects. The carpets so produced at the museum have amazing design and fine texture ranging from stylish contemporary patterns to the traditional ones. Besides carpets, the exclusive handmade paper is another specialty which is made from the bark of algeri tree.
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Lepcha weaves or 'thara' is woven in vertical looms with a backstrap. Such looms are of small width. Traditional design with different colours are used to make tharas which are used for making bedspreads, bags, belts, curtains, cushion covers, table mats, tray cloths, etc., apart from traditional dresses.
Thankas are religious scrolls found hanging in monasteries and Sikkimese homes. They usually depict life sketches of gods and goddesses in different forms. The central figure in a thanka is always a Buddha or Bodhisattva of Mahayana Buddhism.
Free for children below 12 years of age