Assam has a rich tradition in art and craft which also stands as a key factor that attracts the tourists to the state and which have a high demand in the country and as well as abroad.

 The state is significantly rich in various craftsman works in some places of the state which are well known in all over the country. Since the time immemorial, it has been known that the weavers, plotters, goldsmiths and bamboo works, wood, cane and the ivory workers have been reflecting their artistic talent and craftsmanship through their works in this media or platform. 

The ancient half and full relief sculptures associated with temple art can provide a good example of their artistic skills. The wood carvings of Satra Institutions can claim to be the best specimen of the South-East Asian tradition of wood carvings. 

The Ahom rulers during Ahom Kingdom were also the patrons of the art and craftsmanship and to encourage the craftsman they even brought the expert artisans from outside of the country for creating various items of. The Assamese craftsman of the region still retains some of the good works of the past through many such activities such as weaving, bamboo, cane, bell metal, pith, clay and wood works and ivory carvings. These works of the weavers reflects the distinctive colour scheme and artistic design which are the trademarks that belongs to this part of the world. Assam also has the tradition of producing three different types of silk such as that of the Pat, Eri and Muga silk which are very popular within the country as well as in rest of the world. 

Cane and Bamboo being quite common all over, are used to make a variety of products. Cane furniture of Assam is much sought after both in the national and international markets. Bamboo is used mostly to make domestic products such as chalani (sieve), kula (winnowing pan), khorahi (small basket) etc. The fancy bamboo japi (hat) with its colourful design and motif is worn by the Assamese Pleasant while working in the field. 

It is a way of life in Assam. The number of looms in the state stands at around 8 lakhs which works out to around 16% of the looms in the entire country. More than thirty thousand looms operate exclusively in silk. Cotton, muga, paat (mulberry silk) and endi are the basic raw materials for hand-woven fabrics in Assam. Sualkuchi is the biggest centre of silk production and weaving in the state. There are more than 3000 weavers in and around the township.

 Sualkuchi is known as the Manchester of Assam’. Muga silk has a natural golden colour and rare sheen that becomes more lustruous with every wash. Eri is a warm silk suitable for the winter. The designs used in Assam are mostly stylised symbols of animals, human figures, creepers, flowers, birds, channels, cross borders and the galaxy. Each ethnic group of the state has its own distinctive design and style. 

Assamese weavers produce beautiful designs on the borders of traditional garments such as the mekhela-chaddar and riha and also on the gamosa (towel) . The Laichangphi, produced traditionally by the weavers of Cachar district, is a popular quilt sought after because of its warmth and softness. The tribals make beautiful shawls. 

Brass and Bell Metal products of Assam are also famous for their beauty and strength of form and utility. Brass is an important cottage industry with highest concentration in Hajo of Kamrup district. The Sarthebari area of the same district is well known for its bell metal craft. The principal items of brass are the kalah (water pot), sarai (a platter or tray mounted on a base), kahi (dish), bati (bowl), lota (water pot with a long neck) and tal (cymbals). Gold, silver and copper too have formed part of traditional metalcraft in Assam and the state Museum in Guwahati has a rich collection of items made of these metals. Gold however is now used only for ornaments. 

It is an ancient Assamese craft. Exquisite wood carvings are seen mostly on doors, walls, beams, ceilings and the splendid carved sinhasans used in prayer houses. Decorative panels in the royal Ahom palaces of the past and the 600 years old sattras or Vaisnavite monasteries are intricately carved in wood. A special class of people who excelled in wood carving came to be known as ‘Khanikar’. The painted woodwork of Golaghat is a folk art. Modern-day khanikars have taken to producing articles of commercial value, including figure of one-horned rhino and replicas of the world-famous Kamakhya temple two items heading the list of demands from visitors. 

Kuhila Koth or fibre weaving is a famed handicraft of the Batadrava area of Nagaon district. Kuhila is woven on a simple loom-like gadget made of wood and bamboo poles to produce seats, mats and cushions. Kuhila craft is also an important cottage industry in the Gauripur area of Dhubri district in Lower Assam. Pith orIndian cork has also been used for toy-making since centuries in Assam. Such toysare chieflymade in the Goalpara region and they include figures of Gods, animals and birds.

Sitalpati or mats made from the patidai or mohtra reed is a traditional craft of Cachar. Ivory products such as combs, bangles, walking sticks and smoking pipes weremade in the district of Barpeta. Their production has however been stopped sincea ban was imposed on making and selling of ivory products as a conservation measure. Combs made of the horn of oxes are also a speciality. Pottery It is practised by two communities of artisans in Assam, the Hira and the Kumar.The Hiras make household articles using the compression method. The Kumarsuse their potter's wheel to make images for worship and clay dolls and toys. West Assam has long been proficient in the craft of terracotta. Asharkandi, a village in Goalpara district is famous for its graceful clay dolls.

It has been a tradition in Assam. Gold was available in many of the rivers flowing down from the Himalayas. In fact, a particular tribe of people, the Sonowal Kacharis, were engaged only in gold washing in these rivers. The Assamese jeweller (sonari) make exquisite lockets (doog-doogi, bana, jon-biri, dhol-biri) earrings (thuriya, loka-paro, keru), bracelets (gaam-kharu), necklaces (gal-pata)etc.

The toys of Assam can be broadly classified under four heads (i) clay toys (ii) pith (iii) wooden and bamboo toys (iv) cloth and cloth and mud toys. While the human figure, especially dolls, brides and grooms, is the most common theme of all kindsof toys, a variety of animals forms have also dominated the clay-toys scene of Assam. Clay traditionally made by the Kumar and Hira communities, have often depicted different animals too, while Gods, Goddesses and other mythologicalfigures also find importance in the work of traditional artist. 

Pith or Indian cork has also been used for toy-making since centuries in Assam. Such toys are chiefly made in the Goalpara region and they include figuresof Gods, animals and birds, the last of which again dominate the over-all output. Wood and bamboo on the other hand have been in use for making toys for several centuries and like the other mediums, come as birds, animals and human figures. 

Toys of cloth as also with a mixture of cloth and mud too have constituted part of the rich Assamese toy-making tradition. While the art of making cloth toys have been traditionally handed down from mother to daughter in every household, the cloth and mud toys are generally used for puppet theatres. Among the household toys, the bride and the groom are the most common characters, while the other varieties have animals and mythological characters as the plays demand. 

With tribal art and folk elements forms the base of Assamese culture, masks have found an important place in the cultural activities of the people. Masks have been widely used in folk theatres and Bhaonas with the materials ranging from terracotta to pith to metal, bamboo and wood. Similarly, among the tribals too, the use of masks is varied and widespread, especially in their colourful dances which again revolve chiefly around their typical tribal myth and folklore. Such traditional masks have of late found their way to the modern-day drawing rooms as decorative items and wall-hangings, thus providing self-employment opportunities to those who have been traditionally making them.

The tradition of painting in Assam can be traced back to several centuries in the past. The gifts presented to Hiuen Tsang and Harshavardhana by Kumar Bhaskara, the king of Kamrupa, included a number of paintings and painted 

objects, some done on exclusive Assam silk. Assamese literature of the medieval period abounds in references to chitrakars and patuas who were expert painters. Locally available material such as hebgool and haital were used for painting. Ahom palaces, satras and namghar are replete with brightly coloured paintings depicting various stories and events from history and mythology. It is often said that folk dance is the best manifestation of the culture and tradition of a particular place. The best example to this statement can be seen in the various ethnic dance forms that are prevalent in the different corners of Assam. The state is home to a number of indigenous tribes and races, each of which has its own fairs and festivals. This has led to the propagation of innumerous dance forms throughout the region. The different dance forms in the state can be broadly categorised under two headings, classical dances and folk dances.