The art of marble carving in Rajasthan and Agra share a close connection. The finest representation of this exquisite craft is Agra’s famous Taj Mahal. The finest artisans from the Mughal era carved marble sourced from the quarries of Makrana in Rajasthan, to build this wonder of the world.

The art flourished under the Mughals, particularly Shah Jahan and Nur Jahan, who commissioned numerous iconic marble monuments from 1628 to 1658. Agra is famous for two styles of marble carving. In jali work, artisans intricately carve designs from a single piece of marble, resembling a fretted surface of stone lattices. On the other hand, prachinkari is the art of inlaying precious and semi-precious stones into marble.

Sawai Jai Singh II, the Maharaja of Jaipur, invited marble carvers to the newly established capital of Jaipur 250 years ago. Today, the 'pink city' has a thriving community of over 4,000 carvers. Jaipur boasts the biggest hub for crafting idols and statues for Hindu and Jain temples, Murti Mohalla. First, quarried marble is sorted at craft centres. Then, the skilled craftsmen trace, shape and carve designs. They create figures of deities as well as household and décor items.

Marble painting is another distinct art form that shares similarities. In this tradition, artists adorn carved figures with gemstones by meenakari (enamelling) and kundan (uncut diamond) work.

A 2015 Boucheron collection featured two unique necklaces, the Blue de Jodhpur and Plume de Paon. These incorporated Makrana marble. The Plume de Paon showcases a plume crafted from marble but light as a feather. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gifted a table with marble inlay work to the French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, on his visit to France in 2023.

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