Hand-Knotted Rug Manufacturers & Exporters in India (Listed by Year Established)

Published by Raheem & Son, which is included. We say so up front because it matters: you should weigh what follows knowing the author is one of the companies named.

The one ordering criterion used here is the year established, as each company states it on its own website, oldest first. Nothing else affects position.

This is an ordering, not a ranking, and it is not an endorsement of quality, price or service. Position in the list tells you nothing about which supplier is better for your order. We chose the criterion before building the list and we did not change it afterwards: if it had placed Raheem & Son last, we would be last. We do not use scores, stars, "best" or "top" labels anywhere in this series.

A company is included only if its own public website shows that it makes or sells hand-knotted rugs. Each entry cites the page we relied on, and anything a company does not state is shown as "not publicly stated" rather than guessed. Last verified: 18 October 2026. Pages change, so if you spot a fact that is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.

A hand-knotted rug is made by tying individual knots of yarn around the warp threads of a loom, row after row, and trimming the pile after each row. The pattern is built knot by knot from a coloured design. It is the slowest of the common constructions, and the most durable, because every tuft is anchored into the foundation rather than held by backing or adhesive.

The phrase is used loosely in the trade. Some products sold as hand-knotted are in fact hand-tufted or hand-loomed, which are faster constructions with a different structure and a different price. The reliable check is physical: turn the rug over. On a hand-knotted rug the back mirrors the front pattern clearly, because the knots run through. A tufted rug shows a latex or fabric backing. Ask for a photograph of the reverse of the exact sample before you commit.

Knot density is the number buyers quote most, and the one most often misquoted, so ask which method the supplier uses to count it and whether it is measured per square inch or per square metre. Compare like with like. A high figure on a fine silk rug and a lower figure on a robust wool rug are not in competition; they serve different uses.

Every company below shows hand-knotted rugs on its own pages. Hand-knotted is also the construction most associated with the Bhadohi and Mirzapur belt in Uttar Pradesh, where Raheem & Son, Obeetee, Qaaleen and PiHue are based, but the construction is made in several regions, so base is shown as a fact, not a quality signal.

Obeetee: A Mirzapur house whose legacy page dates its start to 1920, with offices in New Delhi and New York. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Raheem & Son: A manufacturer exporter in Bhadohi with looms across the Bhadohi to Mirzapur belt; hand-knotted is one of several constructions it makes. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Qaaleen: A Bhadohi-rooted house with a Delhi showroom; its about page lists 1954 as its earliest milestone. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Jaipur Rugs: A Rajasthan rug maker; its founder's site gives 1978, about 40,000 artisans and 600 villages across five states. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Sharda Exports: A Meerut group, 1983 by its own account, that lists hand-knotted among several constructions including recycled PET flatweave. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Saraswati Global: A group that states 1986 as its founding year and a plant for hand-knotted rugs in Dharampur, Gujarat. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

PiHue Creations: A Bhadohi exporter that began in 2021 and is the newest company in this list. Year source: company page; category source: category page.

Under this criterion Raheem & Son falls second of 7, because 1927 is where the sequence of stated founding years puts it. That is a consequence of the ordering rule, not a claim about quality.

We weave hand-knotted rugs on looms across the Bhadohi to Mirzapur belt, working with a network of more than 6,000 weavers and 1,400 looms, and we present hand-knotted as our most durable and detailed construction beside handloom, hand-woven, hand-tufted and flatweave. The full comparison is on our weaving techniques page and the hand-knotted collection; the rug process and manufacturing pages show the steps from fibre and dyeing to finishing.

Raheem & Son has no fixed minimum order, quotes a sample or strike-off in 25 to 35 days, and starts bulk production from about 60 days depending on order size, construction and production load (see how to order).

On certification, CEPC registration is the only credential we currently hold. A Four-Star Category Certificate from the Directorate of Industries, Government of Uttar Pradesh was awarded in 2009; it is a historic award that lapsed in 2011, not a current certificate. We do not hold other standing third-party certificates; others are arranged against qualifying orders and we say so in writing first. See our standards.

Ask who weaves the rug, on whose looms, and whether any step is subcontracted. Ask for the reverse photograph, the knot-count method and the pile height. Ask what the supplier will document on fibre origin and dyes, and ask for any certificate you are told about, checking the name on it. Where the supplier is a buying agent and not a weaver, the right answer is a clear statement of that, which is why we describe our own sourcing desk as disclosed agency work.

For the commercial side, see wholesale rug buying. For other constructions, continue with the guides to hand-tufted, handloom and flatweave and dhurrie makers.