The silver cladding craft of Udaipur, Rajasthan, is a distinctive technique in which sheets of hammered, repoussé, or chased silver are meticulously applied over carved wooden objects. From doors, chests, and furniture panels to temple accessories and ceremonial artifacts, this craft blends regal elegance with masterful metalwork.

Artisans begin by preparing teakwood or rosewood bases, intricately hand-carved into traditional motifs such as lotus vines, peacocks, or geometric jali patterns. Over these, ultra-thin silver sheets (purity ranging from 70% to 90%) are affixed using a mixture of lac, adhesive pastes, and precision tapping, ensuring the silver conforms to every curve and contour. The final piece is often oxidized, burnished, or engraved to enhance texture and contrast.

This decorative layering technique is as much about visual richness as it is about craftsmanship. Each piece requires days or even weeks of work, demanding steady hands, a practiced eye, and generations of expertise.

Udaipur’s silver cladding tradition can be traced back to the Mewar royal courts, particularly under the reigns of rulers such as Maharana Fateh Singh (1884–1930), when silver-covered thrones, palkis (palanquins), and temple gates were commissioned for royal processions and temple rituals.

The craft draws upon both Rajput and Mughal influences in its ornamentation style and has historically been supported by Rajput nobility, Jain patrons, and temple trusts. In particular, Shrinathji temples in Nathdwara and Udaipur have long used silver-clad objects for religious offerings and ceremonial display.

Today, this once-royal art form is still practiced by traditional sonar (silversmith) families in Udaipur and surrounding districts. While the scale of patronage has shifted, the craft survives through bespoke commissions, heritage hotels, and luxury decor projects—as well as initiatives to revive it through craft councils and design collaborations.

Walk through the corridors of City Palace, Udaipur, and you’ll find silver-clad doors gleaming under layers of history, their surfaces engraved with sacred symbols and royal crests. These are not just ornamental details—they are silent narrators of ceremonies, coronations, and centuries-old devotion.

In local households, silver cladding once adorned dowry chests (pataras) and mirror frames gifted to brides, preserving moments of familial love and cultural pride. Even today, some artisan families near Jagdish Chowk and Chandpole proudly display ancestral tools used by their forefathers—chisels and hammers blackened by decades of shaping silver into heritage.

Visitors to Udaipur’s old quarters may still hear the gentle metallic tapping from alleyway workshops, where young sons learn to "lay the silver skin" from their fathers—a phrase that means more than technique; it signifies lineage.

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