Kachchh leather craft stands out for its unique combination of embroidery, patchwork, and punchwork. Through clever adjustments punching, craftsmen create patterns like tattoos as the leather ages. Presently, the practice continues within communities from Hodka, Bhirandiyara, Dhordo, and Sumarasar in the Kachchh region of Gujarat.

Around 600 years ago, the Meghwal community migrated from the Marwar region of Rajasthan to Kachchh, bringing with them the tradition of leather craftsmanship. They fostered a connection with the nomadic Maldhari community to source hides from deceased cattle. The craft was labour-intensive, requiring 18 days of rigorous treatment and washing of the hides.

Reminiscent of reverse appliqué and felt-making, the design vocabulary includes low-relief forms. The craftsmen create concentric and linear patterns with a variety of handheld punches against a coloured fabric, secured with rubber glue. Leather pieces are assembled through hand-stitching. The craftsmen either leave the leather in its natural colour or dye it with strainers in shades of brown or bright colours like yellow, blue, and red.

This leather craft is used to produce various traditional as well as contemporary items. These include mojari (shoes), varolo (bridal footwear), chalmadto (saddles for camels and horses), thada (belt), tung (necklace), chadda (rope), beejna (hand fan), and lifestyle accessories.

Leather in Kachchh is supposed to be so durable and well-treated that it could even hold water. It is believed that artisans once used real silver thread to bind the pieces together. Bandhej founder Archana Shah’s book, Shifting Sands: Kutch, talks about the pastoral crafts of Kachchh, including leather, in anecdotal detail.