Paper pulp is turned into delicate papier-mâché craft in Kashmir, using an art form that has come down the ages. These are richly painted with colourful designs. Artists create vases, bowls, cups, boxes, trays, lamp bases and many other papier-mâché collectibles. Chinar leaves, water birds, kingfishers and paisley patterns are the chosen motifs for the Kashmiri craft. This craft has also influenced artisans in Bihar, who create their own form of indigenous papier-mâché art depicted in Madhubani style. This hand-crafted style has a folksy value as it interprets life, art and divinity.

According to one legend, it was first adopted in the Valley by Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, a Sufi mystic, who came to Kashmir with his followers. Another story says papier-mâché was introduced by Sultan Zain ul Abidin, who was imprisoned in Samarkand for many years. Impressed by the Central Asian craft, he brought it back when he returned home to Kashmir. The unique technique was awarded a Geographic Indication (GI) tag in 1999.

The walls and ceilings of the Shah Hamdan Mosque in Srinagar are adorned with papier-mâché art. The papier-mâché of Bihar got its due recognition in 2023, when an artisan from Bihar, 82-year-old Subhadra Devi received the Padma Shri for her contribution to the craft.