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Abstract
India’s cultural heritage has played an essential role in the textile trade over centuries. In particular, the diverse floor coverings of Kashmir form an integral part of the handicraft industry of the region whereby the varieties produced differ from each other in their design, their mode of production and the raw material used. The artisans of the community execute a specific task in the sequential production process creating and following a chain of activities to enable production. This paper explores the traditions of floor coverings in Kashmir, their cultural specificity, the nature and structure of artisanal communities of the region and their unique approaches to design and production, in order to demonstrate deep linkages between aspects of culture, community and their craft-practices.