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UPSKARA, luxury Indian heritage décor

Where Heritage Finds Home.

Objects shaped by art, devotion and generations of craft.

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An illuminated manuscript on emerald velvet, painted with lotuses and sacred cows, that reads: Before It Became Décor, It Was Devotion.

Before It Became Décor, It Was Devotion.

Long before anyone hung it on a wall, a Pichwai was painted to stand behind Shrinathji at Nathdwara, a cloth that changed with the seasons and the festivals, never meant to be sold.

Zardozi began in the same spirit of offering: gold wire and pearls worked by hand for courts and temples, one stitch at a time, for years on a single piece.

UPSKARA takes its name from the Sanskrit upaskāra, the act of adorning, of making a space richer than it was. Every object here begins in one of these traditions and ends in your home.

Four gateways. Four worlds.

A Dwār is a threshold: the arch you pass beneath before a courtyard, a shrine, a hall. Choose one and step through.

A Home For Everything That Matters

One haveli, in cross-section. Every room holds a piece with a lineage. Move through it.

A Rajputana haveli shown in cross-section: living room, entrance courtyard, dining room, bedroom, temple and study, each furnished with UPSKARA pieces
Art that welcomes

Living Room

Large Pichwai above the seating; lotus cushions; brass on the table.

Pastoral GraceRegal CaravanRural Harmony
See the living room pieces →
A more meaningful arrival

Entrance Courtyard

A Zardozi toran above the door; lanterns; the courtyard beyond.

Pastoral GraceRegal CaravanRural Harmony
See the entrance courtyard pieces →
Craft at the table

Dining Room

Zardozi runners, placemats and embroidered textiles.

Pastoral GraceRegal CaravanRural Harmony
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A restful embrace

Bedroom

Lotus-inspired panels and textiles in ivory and gold.

Rajasthan ReverieBotanical GraceVerdant Whispers
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Devotion lives here

Temple

A Pichwai backdrop behind the deity; lamps and offerings.

Pastoral GraceRural HarmonyRajasthani Village Tale
See the temple pieces →
Stories in every detail

Study

Miniature paintings and framed heritage art among the books.

Rajasthan ReverieBotanical GraceRoyal Companions
See the study pieces →
Living roomEntranceDining roomBedroomTempleStudy

Craft traditions

Three chapters of a documentary. Each craft has a lineage; each object, a pair of hands.

A Pichwai painter at work on a large Nathdwara cloth in a sunlit workshop
Chapter I · Nathdwara

Pichwai

Painted on starched cotton with mineral and vegetable pigments. The dark green ground is laid first; lotuses, cows and clouds come last, in brushwork fine enough to take months. A Pichwai was made to hang behind the deity and to change with the seasons. It was never meant to be sold.

  1. Rice starchThe cotton is sized and stretched, so the pigment sits rather than sinks.
  2. PigmentsMalachite, ochre, indigo and gold, ground by hand.
  3. Lotus motifsPetals bloom outward from the centre of each flower.
  4. Cow formsOutlines first, then the garlands and the gold on the horns.
  5. Final artworkWeeks of fine brushwork, then the border and the signature.

Pieces from the Pichwai tradition

Gokul Leela
Gokul LeelaPichwai-inspired Art Print · Nathdwara, Rajasthan₹ 2,950Add to collection
Garden Pavilion
Garden PavilionArt Print on Engineered Wood · Nathdwara, Rajasthan₹ 3,250Add to collection
Rural Harmony
Rural HarmonyHand-Painted Art Panel with Handwork · Nathdwara, Rajasthan₹ 3,950Add to collection
An artisan couching gold wire and pearls onto silk stretched on a wooden adda
Chapter II · Lucknow

Zardozi

Persian for "gold sewing". Metallic wire, pearls and sequins couched onto silk or velvet stretched on a wooden frame called an adda. Every bead is placed by hand, and a single ceremonial piece can take a family most of a year.

  1. Design tracingThe motif is pricked onto paper and pounced through in chalk.
  2. Fabric stretchingSilk or velvet drawn taut on the adda, corner by corner.
  3. Gold wire workDabka, nakshi and kora wire couched in tiny stitches.
  4. Pearl placementFreshwater pearls and stones set one at a time.
  5. Finished embroideryPressed, edged and signed by the karigar.

Embellished pieces with handwork

Regal Caravan
Regal CaravanHand-Painted Art Panel with Handwork · Rajasthan₹ 3,950Add to collection
Royal Procession
Royal ProcessionHand-Painted Art Print with Handwork · Rajasthan₹ 1,950Add to collection
Sacred Harmony
Sacred HarmonyHand-Painted Art Print with Handwork · Nathdwara, Rajasthan₹ 1,950Add to collection
Master artisans from Nathdwara and Lucknow painting and embroidering together in a heritage workshop
Chapter III · Different hands, a shared heritage

Artisans

Families in Nathdwara and Lucknow who learned at a parent's side. Each UPSKARA piece is signed with the craft, the town and the hands that made it; the maker is paid at agreed rates before the piece is sold, and given the time the work needs.

  1. PortraitsThe people behind every signature on an authenticity note.
  2. Hands at workBrush, needle and wire; the same movements for generations.
  3. Workshop environmentsSunlit rooms in Nathdwara and Lucknow, open to the street.
  4. Generational knowledgeWhat a grandmother knew about a stitch, a grandchild still practises.

Signed by the hands that made them

Rajasthan Reverie
Rajasthan ReverieHand-Painted Art Panel · Rajasthan₹ 4,950Add to collection
Royal Safari
Royal SafariHeritage Art Print · Rajasthan₹ 3,150Add to collection
Lotus Reverie
Lotus ReverieHand-Painted & Embellished · Nathdwara, Rajasthan₹ 2,450Add to collection

Heritage journal

Pages from the archive: craft traditions, temple arts, Pichwai stories, the Zardozi legacy and living with heritage.

Pichwai Stories · 6 min read

What Is Pichwai Art? The Painted Cloths of Nathdwara

A Pichwai is a devotional painting on cloth, made to hang behind the deity Shrinathji at Nathdwara. Here is what it is, how it is made, and why it now hangs in contemporary Indian homes.

Read story  →
Zardozi Legacy · 5 min read

What Is Zardozi Embroidery? Gold Sewing From the Mughal Courts

Zardozi is Persian for gold sewing: metallic wire, pearls and sequins couched by hand onto silk and velvet. It dressed emperors and temple deities, and it is why a Shahi Zardozi piece is an heirloom first and decor second.

Read story  →
Temple Arts · 5 min read

The Sacred Cow in Indian Art, From Cave Wall to Pichwai

The garlanded white cow is the oldest continuous image in Indian art. It appears on cave walls, in Warli village painting, on temple cloths at Nathdwara, and on UPSKARA's border panels.

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Living With Heritage · 6 min read

How to Style Pichwai Art in a Contemporary Home

Pichwai was painted for temple halls, so it holds a room from a distance. Here is how to place it, what to put beside it, and what to leave out.

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Indian Heritage · 6 min read

Rajputana Interiors: A Guide to Heritage Home Styling

The havelis of Rajasthan were built around courtyards, thresholds and shrines. Their logic still works in a flat: an entrance that welcomes, a room that gathers, a corner that is quiet.

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Craft Traditions · 4 min read

The Meaning of the Lotus Motif in Indian Art

The lotus rises clean from mud. It is the oldest Indian image of beauty that owes nothing to its surroundings, and the reason UPSKARA's quiet wing is named Kamal.

Read story  →

Shipping, care and our promise

Shipping

Every piece is wrapped in acid-free tissue and dispatched from Jaipur with full tracking to all serviceable pincodes in India. Metro cities usually receive within 3–5 working days; elsewhere, 5–8. International shipping is arranged on request.

Returns

If a piece arrives damaged or is not what you ordered, tell us within 7 days of delivery with a photograph and we will collect it and replace or refund it in full. Made-to-order and personalised pieces are not returnable unless damaged in transit.

Care

Keep Pichwai away from direct sun and humidity; dust with a dry, soft brush. Zardozi should never be washed. Store flat in muslin with a sachet of neem or camphor, and let a specialist clean it when needed.

Authenticity

Each piece carries a numbered authenticity note stating its craft, its town of origin and the artisan family who made it. No prints, no machine embroidery is ever sold as handwork.

Craftsmanship promise

We give artisans the time the work needs and pay agreed rates before a piece is sold. Small variations in stroke, stitch and shade are the signature of the hand and not defects.

Frequently asked questions

Can I commission a size or motif? Yes. Write to us with the wall or table dimensions and we will share a timeline.

Do you frame Pichwai? We can, in teak or gold-leaf finishes; framing adds about two weeks.

Is cash on delivery available? For orders under a set value, yes, at checkout.

Every object carries a story.
Thank you for becoming part of it.