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Rugs & Carpets
 Brilliant hues, dragons, a garuda on a flowering tree and swastikas for luck are traditional patterns found on carpets from Himachal Pradesh. Sometimes, the weaver may capture the delicacy and colour of spring flowers on his carptes. Traditional symbols like the flute, castanets, fish a ornate knots are also woven into carpet patterns. All these symbols carry a meaning behind them - flutes signify happiness, the lotus signifies purity. Most highlanders use capets for furnishing. Even their sturdy ponies have colourful carpet saddles. 'Chuktu', a blanket, is actually a modified version of a carpet. Some of the earliest carpets were made by weaving four strips about nine inches wide and sewing them together afterwards.
In the higher reaches of the state, hillfolk rear sheep and goats and weave the wool and hair into traditional blankets, rugs and namdas (heavy rugs). Namdas are made with beaten wool. In fact men spinning wool by hand as they watch their flocks is a common sight in Himachal.
Fleecy soft blankets called gudmas are also very popular. They are made from the wool of the Giangi sheep. They come in natural wool colours and are finished with a red or black edging. You'll have a lot of furnishings to choose from: thobis (floor coverings), karcha (mattresses), which are made from goat hair, pattoo cloth (like shawls), carpets and yarn made from soft wo
Rugs and Namdas
 High on the Himalayan reaches of Himachal, the hill-folk rear sheep and goats for the famous wool and hair that goes into the making of traditional blankets, rugs and namdas. Gudma is the name given to the fleecy soft blanket that is made from the wool of Giangi sheep. Gudma weaving is mainly done in the Giabong and Kullu valleys, as these areas have special kind of clay which is used for cleaning and finishing a Gudma. The Gudma usually comes in natural wool colours finished with a warm red or black edging. Thobis (Floor coverings) and Kharcha (a mattress) are made from goat hair, while 'Pattoo' cloth, carpets and yarn are made from the soft wool sheep.
Of more recent origin is the making of namdas of floor coverings. These are made by felting the wool and then embroidering on it. This looks really attractive and gives greater wear to the namda. Some typical designs are Himachal flowers and animals
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