Initially, the motifs used in the carpets were purely of Persian origin, but later designs from Afghanistan, Turkey, China and France were introduced. This presented the Indian carpet industry with a character of its own. From Ladakh to West Bengal and Sikkim to Manipur, carpets are made of pure wool in bright colours. For more that 2500 years, the patterns reproduced are of  flowers arabesques and rhomboids.

The best–grade Indian wool is used for weaving the medium quality carpets, while imported wool mixed with the finest Indian wool are used for superior quality carpets. However, rugs woven of a fine quality wool do not deliver instant lustre, rather they develop a lustre after use but since people desire lustrous carpets at the time of purchase, these are washed with chemicals to enhance the natural lustre, though the chemicals reduce the life span of the rugs.

The type of rug and the technique used for weaving varies from state to state. Apart from Kashmir, some fine quality woolen rugs are also produced in Amritsar, Agra, Jaipur, Eluru and Warangal (Andhra Pradesh). The Mizapur-Bahadohi belt in Uttar Pradesh, though specialising in lower and medium qualities, has the largest concentration of the country’s carpet weavers.

The fineness and superiority of woolen rugs can be judged by the number of knots per unit area, the firmness, thickness and appearance of the back of the carpet. Among the hand knotted rugs, the Bokhara is known to be the finest.

The handmade rugs industry has been a part of India for centuries now. But it is only in the past quarter century that Indian rugs have grown in leaps and bounds. There are various types of rugs handmade in India today like Shaggy rugs, Woollen rugs, and Stylish and Designer rugs apart from the traditional Mogul style rugs, Prayer rugs, Floral rugs and the Antique Indian Rugs. Kashmir has been a pioneer in the field of rug and carpet making in the country apart from few other states like Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

The primary characteristic and feature of Indian rugs is their intense and singular palette. These palettes are based on green, light blue, yellow and pink colours. There is no doubt that Indian rugs have an influence of the Persian style rugs. But these handmade rugs distinguish themselves from the Persian ones with their strong sense of pictorial usage and asymmetry.

The Indian rugs design have an inclination towards figural scenes and natural floral designs. Thus, the feel and the look of rugs from India are generally very aristocratic, rich and refined. This makes them stand out in the world of rugs and carpets.

Today, therefore, the Indian handmade rugs industry is considered to be among the most traditional  yet technically accomplished one. It has today reached the height of fame and is renowned for its impressive colour matching, beautiful designs, and elegant and exquisite craftsmanship.