The craft though originated in China some 2000 years back but is comparitively new to India. The art reached India in 14th century with a prince, son of Sultan Sikandar who had learnt it from the artists when in captivity in Samarkand.

Kashmir produces some of the most beautifully handcrafted papier mache items. Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh makes papier mache toys, while in Ujjain figures of popular deities are made of this material. Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Chennai are also famous for their papier mache crafts.

The word Papier Mache means chewed wood and is made by mixing soaked paper and glue and shaping them using molds. The designs painted over all the products are bright with golden color being an essential color specially in the Kashmiri style. The tribal dulls are more crude and painted with the earthen colors in their brightest.