How Hand Knotted Carpets Are Made — Step-by-Step From Mirzapur

Mirzapur and Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh are globally recognized as the carpet capital of South Asia. Since the Mughal era and continuing through our workshop established in 1990, the art of hand knotting has been passed down across generations.

### Stage 1: Wool Sourcing & Carding
We begin with high-altitude New Zealand and indigenous Bikaner wool, celebrated for its long staple fibers and natural lanolin content. The raw fleece is hand-sorted, carded, and spun on spinning wheels (charkhas) into resilient warp and weft yarns.

### Stage 2: Pot Dyeing
Yarns are dyed in temperature-controlled open copper vats using chromium and organic vegetable dyes (indigo, madder root, pomegranate rind) to achieve rich, colorfast shades that will not bleed or fade over decades.

### Stage 3: Setting the Loom & Knotting
A vertical loom is strung with tightly tensioned cotton warp threads. The master weaver follows a 'Talim' or coded graph chart, tying each knot individually around two warp strings before cutting the yarn with a specialized curved knife. A single 8x10 foot carpet can contain over 1,000,000 individual hand knots and require 4 to 6 months of continuous labor.

### Stage 4: Herbal Washing & Finishing
Once taken off the loom, the rug undergoes thorough herbal washing with natural soapnut solutions to clarify colors and soften the pile. Finally, artisan clippers sculpt the edges and bevel the designs with precision hand shears.