folksySamode
where legends of rural traditio & culture
comes alive
Samode Village Tourism
Development Society
where legends of rural traditio & culture
comes alive
The village streets are inhabited by various craft communities engaged in diverse crafts such as block printing, weaving of carpets, stone and paper painting, gem stonecutting, pottery, traditional jooti-making, metal works and lac work-bangles.
Vibrant lacquer (popularly called Lac) bangles offer a befitting contrast to the desert state of India. Embellished, in most cases, with glass chatons, these bangles are made of Lac, which is the sap collected from a banyan tree. It is dried, coloured and flattened before being moulded into lovely trinkets.
Artists here are adept in the detailed craftsmanship of miniature paintings, done on old paper with natural dyes. Intricacy finds a new meaning in these miniatures that celebrate the valour of the erstwhile Maharajas and the opulence of Mughal court life.
In the village, you can see havelies with wall paintings, there is very good artist who can show you their art of wall and fresco painting of very good quality.
In the royal past, metal crafts were used to embellish the royal armour. Now the metal work artisans decorate tabletops, wall plates, silver animal figures, caparisoned elephants with human figures over a howdah (a musical instrument) etc.
Floor coverings like carpets, hand-woven durries or soft woolen druggets are crafted in Samode and other villages of Rajasthan for export all over the world. The jootis (embroidered footwear) are very popular item of this region. The leather is beaten, tanned and dyed, and patterns are made on it by punching and gouging it. Later it is studded and sequined, embroidered and stitched to create the appealing look.
A visit to Samode cannot be considered complete without a musical evening of folk dances and songs. A few households belong to the famous dancing community of Samode .
The village of Samode has a beautiful palace which has now been converted into Hotel Samod Palace by the erstwhile royal family.This hotel has a very beautiful Mirror Palace ( sheesh mahal). The village also has many old havelis, forts, water bodies and ancient temples. These were created by the Kumawat community. Sri Chandalal ji Salag Ram ji and artists from the community of the Kumawats have contributed to create this beautiful village. Following their ancestors, Surajmal ji Kumawat, Gulabchand ji Kumawat, Govind Sahay ji ,Mohanlal Ji and Ram Avatar ji continued to keep alive the heritage of art of this village. In the present day, the legacy of their ancestors is kept alive by Banwari Kumawat, Bhanwarlal Kumawat, Bajrang Lal Kumawat, Chhitar Mal Kumawat, Chantus Raj kumawat, Chunnilal ji Kumhar, Gopal Kumawat ,Jeetu Kumawat ,Shivpal Kumawat ,Raju Kumawat, Bhanwarlal Saini , Mahesh Saini, Kalu Ram Yogi , Rupnarayan Sethi, Shankar Saini, Shankar Lal Yadav, Suresh Nayak, Mahendra Nayak, Vishnu Khati Shankar Lal Meena, Shambhu Lal Meena, Prem Devi Kumawat, Subhash Kumawat ,Amit Kumawat ,Sanjay Kumawat ,Dilip Kumawat, lekhraj saini, Giriraj Kumhar and rahul sharma etc. These people have held several exhibitions of the paintings and handicraft of Samode not just in India but also abroad. They have brought fame and glory to this village. The craftsmanship of lak bangles is carried forward by Syed Nizamuddin ji Manihar , Syed Ahsan Ali Manihar , Syed Sadruddin Ji Manihar,Shri Shyam Lakhera, Mohan ji Lakhera and their family members who make exquisite lacquer bangles . These have been displayed abroad several times. In addition to this , leather handicraft work is carried forward by Chhitar Malji Raigar , Kailash ji Raigar, Kishor ji kansotiya and Ramlal ji Raigar who have crafted beautiful leather creations and have exhibited them in the country and abroad. Tie and dye techniques and stone jewellery art have been taken forward by Anwar Bhai Mansuri. Members of the community of Teli create exquisite quilts, mattresses , carpets and stitchcraft products. The potter community of the village has beautiful artifacts out of clay and the ironsmiths of samod have made beautiful creative designs in iron. Bhanwarlal Kumawat and his wife Prem Devi Kumawat in addition to the youth of the village welcome tourists and introduce them to the various crafts and monuments. Apart from this, Bhanwarlal Kumawat and Prem Devi Kumawat teach free painting work to the youth of Samod village and surrounding villages and to all the tourists coming to the village, frasco painting work and the work of making artefacts with lime and cement. With such a rich repertoire of art and craft activities and the historic monuments that village of Samod has on offer make it a top tourist destination.
To leverage India's rural heritage in creating a vibrant and responsible tourism segment by creating engaging rural experiences thereby promoting indigenous jobs, and preserving local culture and heritage.
To facilitate an enabling environment comprising of Government, Industry, NGO, Community for development and promotion of rural tourism in the Country.