Compare · Regions
Rug sourcing hubs in India: Agra, Bhadohi, Jaipur, Kashmir, Mirzapur and Panipat
India’s handmade rugs come from several hubs, and the public record documents each one differently. CEPC lists Bhadohi carpet, Kashmir Hand Knotted Carpet, Mirzapur Dari and Agra Dari as registered geographical indications,1 and its chairman names Bhadohi-Mirzapur, Jaipur and Panipat as major clusters.2 Raheem & Son is based in Bhadohi, so the hubs are listed alphabetically, not ranked.
The six hubs, side by side
Ordering rule. Hubs listed alphabetically by name (Agra, Bhadohi, Jaipur, Kashmir, Mirzapur, Panipat); an ordering, not a ranking.Each cell repeats only what its source says. Where we found no public source, the cell reads “not publicly documented”; that does not mean the hub has no such standing, only that we could not cite one.
| Hub | State | Registered GI product (as CEPC lists it) | Named as a cluster | Companies in our comparison based there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agra | Uttar Pradesh | Agra Dari (Agra Durrie), a flat-woven, pileless cotton rug, is listed as a registered GI product.1,3 | Not publicly documented | None of the companies in our comparison |
| Bhadohi | Uttar Pradesh | Bhadohi carpet (Handmade Carpet of Bhadohi) is listed as a registered GI product.1,3 | Named by the CEPC chairman as part of the Bhadohi-Mirzapur cluster, one of India's major handmade and floor-covering clusters (January 2026).2 | Raheem & Son, Qaaleen (Bhadohi roots), PiHue Creations (oldest founding year first) |
| Jaipur | Rajasthan | Not publicly documented | Named by the CEPC chairman as one of India's major handmade and floor-covering clusters (January 2026).2 | Jaipur Rugs (Rajasthan), Saraswati Global (Rajasthan origin) (oldest founding year first) |
| Kashmir | Jammu and Kashmir | Kashmir Hand Knotted Carpet is listed as a registered GI product; a 2022 report describes the GI tag for hand-knotted Kashmiri carpets.1,4 | Jammu and Kashmir is among the states CEPC lists under carpet clusters of India.5 | None of the companies in our comparison |
| Mirzapur | Uttar Pradesh | Mirzapur Dari (Mirzapur Handmade Dhurrie) is listed as a registered GI product.1 | Named by the CEPC chairman as part of the Bhadohi-Mirzapur cluster (January 2026).2 | Obeetee (states its origin in Mirzapur in 1920) |
| Panipat | Haryana | Not publicly documented | Named by the CEPC chairman as one of India's major handmade and floor-covering clusters (January 2026).2 | None of the companies in our comparison |
Company bases are as each company states them on its own site (see the company comparison). Sharda Exports states its head office is in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, which is not one of the six hubs here. We list companies by the place they state, not by where every order is woven; ask any supplier which unit will make your order. Anything a company has not published is not publicly stated.
What each kind of record means
A registered GI is a legal record that a product name belongs to a territory. It covers the product, not a company, and it does not grade quality. A cluster named by CEPC is the export council’s description of where the trade is concentrated. CEPC also lists the states with carpet clusters, including Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh among others.5 Neither record is a measure of any one supplier, so check the supplier itself with the buyer’s checklist.
Choosing by construction
Match the hub to the product. The GI records separate knotted carpets (Bhadohi, Kashmir) from flat-woven durries (Agra, Mirzapur). Our weaving guide explains the constructions and the trade glossary defines the terms. If you source from Bhadohi, see how the cluster works, then ask for samples or a bulk quote. National figures by year and HS line are on India’s carpet exports.
Corrections. If you represent a company named here and a fact is wrong or out of date, email sales@raheemandson.com with a public source. We will check it and correct the page.
Questions
Frequently asked
Which Indian city should I source handmade rugs from?
It depends on the rug; we do not rank hubs. CEPC lists Bhadohi carpet and Kashmir Hand Knotted Carpet as registered GI products for knotted carpets, Agra Dari and Mirzapur Dari for flat-woven durries, and its chairman names Bhadohi-Mirzapur, Jaipur and Panipat among the major clusters. Choose the hub that matches the construction you want.
Where is Raheem & Son based?
Raheem & Son is based in Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh, at Bazaar Sardar Khan, Chauri Road, with looms across the Bhadohi to Mirzapur belt. It is a manufacturer-exporter founded in 1927 and is registered with CEPC, its only standing affiliation. Because we are based in one of the hubs compared, the page lists hubs alphabetically and cites a source for each cell.
What does a GI registration tell a buyer?
A geographical indication says a product of that name comes from a defined territory and has a quality or reputation linked to it. It does not certify an individual exporter or a particular rug. Ask whether a supplier is a registered authorised user of the GI, and check the GI Registry for current details.
Which other handmade floor-covering GIs does CEPC list?
Besides the four products in the table, the CEPC flyer lists Ghazipur Wall Hanging, Navalgund Dari and Warangal Dari as registered GI products of the Indian handmade carpet industry.
Can I source from more than one hub?
Yes. Many programmes use one hub for hand-knotted pieces and another for flatweave or durries. A buying agent, or an exporter with a disclosed agency desk, can coordinate this; ask which unit weaves each piece.
Sources
Each source below was fetched and re-read on the date shown. Anything we could not find on a public page is shown as not publicly stated, not guessed.
- Carpet Export Promotion Council, Geographical Indication flyer (registered GI products of the handmade carpet industry: Bhadohi carpet, Kashmir Hand Knotted Carpet, Mirzapur Dari, Agra Dari, Ghazipur Wall Hanging, Navalgund Dari, Warangal Dari). Checked 22 October 2026. https://cepc.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GI-Flyer-EH.pdf
- Fibre2Fashion, interview with CEPC chairman Capt. Mukesh Kumar Gombar, published 13 January 2026 (names Bhadohi-Mirzapur, Jaipur, Panipat and other key centres as India's major handmade and floor-covering clusters). Checked 22 October 2026. https://www.fibre2fashion.com/interviews/industry-speak/cepc/mukesh-kumar-gombar/14324/
- GKToday, GI-protected shawls, carpets and durries (names Handmade Carpet of Bhadohi, Agra Durrie, Navalgund Durries, Bhavani Jamakkalam). Checked 22 October 2026. https://www.gktoday.in/gi-protected-shawls-carpets-durries-coir-products-etc/
- The Tribune, 28 March 2022, GI tag for hand-knotted Kashmiri carpets. Checked 22 October 2026. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/j-k/gi-tag-for-local-carpets-elates-traders-381359
- Carpet Export Promotion Council, Industry at a glance (carpet clusters by state; exports Rs 13,810.41 crore in 2020-21; describes India as the No. 1 producer and exporter of handmade carpets). Checked 22 October 2026. https://www.cepc.co.in/industry-at-a-glance