MP News: New Craft Villages In Khargone, Dhar To Boost Textile Tourism

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A hamlet in Khargone district will be developed as a Handloom Village and a town in Dhar as a Craft Village, following the model of Pranpur Tourist Village in Ashoknagar district. The handloom village will showcase Maheshwari weave, while the craft village in Dhar will focus on Bagh print.

Like Pranpur, which highlights Chanderi weave, these projects aim to promote traditional textile arts, attract tourists, and give weavers and artisans a platform to connect directly with buyers.

Keria Khedi, a small village about 4 km from Maheshwar, will be developed as Handloom Village. Around 80–100 families are engaged in weaving Maheshwari saris, salwar-suits and other textiles. Located 3 km off the road from Maheshwar to Omkareshwar, the village will get a Dyeing House, cafeteria, and Experience Centre, along with upgraded civic infrastructure.

Officials from MP Tourism Board (MPTB), which is executing the project, said students and researchers from institutions like NIFT and NID will be able to observe live demonstrations of weaving and dyeing. Work on the Maheshwar project, sanctioned by Union Textiles Ministry at a cost of Rs 5.11 crore, will begin shortly and is expected to finish by June next year.

Development of Keria Khedi as a tourist destination is expected to ease pressure on Maheshwar, diverting some visitors who come for darshan and a dip in Narmada River to the Handloom Village. A ghat on the river is located about 2 km from the village.

Kukshi, a Tehsil headquarters in Dhar district, will be developed as Craft Village. Home to around 1,500 Bagh artisans, the town will be upgraded to allow tourists to buy Bagh print textiles directly from artisans. The project, costing Rs 20.60 crore, will be completed in two phases.