About Us

As a child of the desert, I grew up working to help support my family. I sold newspapers, clerked in a shop, was a camel driver taking visitors out on safaris in my own Thar Desert. That is how I learned about the world beyond the boundaries of my village, and how I came to appreciate the beauty and importance of my culture, the place so many people from far away come to experience for themselves.

My state of Rajasthan is home to many arts: Jaipur is known for block printing on fabric, Udaipur for miniature paintings, and Jodhpur is where we have gone to purchase spices since the days of the Silk Road. My city of Jaisalmer was the main trading center of the Silk Road and this is where you will find the exquisite tribal-design patchwork textiles you see here.

I work directly with the women who do the intricate handwork that makes these pieces so beautiful. I source vintage fabrics from villages in the desert, and then we collaborate on design. My passion for this art has turned me into a collector, and I have many vintage pieces displayed in my shop that are part of my own private collection, not for sale but for everyone who comes to my shop to enjoy.

My shop is just inside the main gate of the Jaisalmer Fort, a more than 850-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the oldest still-inhabited fort in the world, where families live, work, and worship in buildings made of local sandstone. We call Jaisalmer the Golden City for this reason, built with the sturdiness of the desert and embellished with the beauty of our culture. Come visit us soon!

I hope you love wearing these pieces as much as I love creating them.

Bhawani, Owner of Desert Art Gallery