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METAL · BRASS · JAMNAGARBrass Craft
Jamnagar is India’s brass city — a maze of workshops and bazaars where sheet and scrap are cut, spun and polished into everything from temple bells to the tiny components the world runs on.
The city that works in brass
Few places are as bound to a single metal as Jamnagar is to brass. Thousands of small units across the city cut, cast, spin and machine brass into a staggering range of goods — from decorative ware, lamps and temple bells to the precision fittings and components exported around the globe. Walk its industrial lanes and the air rings with hammering, buffing and the glint of freshly polished metal.
From ware to world market
Jamnagar's brass trade grew out of traditional metalworking for household and temple ware — lamps, bells, pots and idols made for the local market.
It scaled into thousands of small units across the city, most of them family-run workshops of a handful of people rather than factories.
The work moved upmarket into precision components — plumbing and electrical fittings, fasteners, valve parts — turned to tight tolerances on small lathes.
Jamnagar now supplies a very large share of India's brass parts and exports worldwide, which is why it is called the country's brass city.
Why come
Brass City
This is a whole-city industry rather than a craft quarter — brass working runs through Jamnagar's economy at every level.
Bells & lamps
Temple and household ware is still made: lamps, bells, kalash, idols and thalis, cast and spun by hand.
Fine parts
The modern side is engineering — fittings, fasteners and valve components machined to specification for industrial buyers.
Bright finish
Buffing and polishing is a trade of its own, and the finished metal comes up to a mirror shine.
Bazaars
Buying at the workshops means better prices and more choice than a retail shop elsewhere in the state.
Exported
Jamnagar brass reaches export markets across Asia, the Gulf, Europe and North America.
What to see
THE TRADEBrass work
Casting, spinning, cutting and machining — the full range of brass processes, often within a single lane.
THE BAZAARJamnagar
Whole industrial quarters given over to one metal, workshop after workshop.
How to experience it
Walk the bazaars
Walk an industrial lane during working hours, when the hammering, buffing and lathe noise gives you the scale of it.
See the workshops
Watch the spinning and cutting — sheet brass shaped over a form on a lathe is the most watchable part of the process.
Watch the polish
See the buffing stage, where dull cast metal is brought up to a mirror finish.
Browse the ware
Look at the traditional lines: lamps, bells, kalash and idols, still made alongside the engineering work.
Buy at source
Buy direct from a workshop rather than a shop; prices are lower and the range is far wider.
Learn the trade
Note the two halves of the trade — devotional ware and precision components, made side by side.
A craft turned powerhouse
Brass in Jamnagar spans the sacred and the industrial: the same city that casts temple bells and puja lamps also machines the humble components that feed factories across the world. It is a rare example of a traditional metal craft evolving into a global manufacturing cluster while keeping its handmade roots alive in the bazaars.
It sits within Jamnagar district — browse more places to visit in Jamnagar.
Timing
Workshops run hardest in the run-up to Diwali, when demand for lamps and temple ware peaks.
November to February is the comfortable season for walking the industrial lanes on foot.
April to June is punishing — the lanes are narrow, the furnaces are lit and there is no shade.
⏰ Workshops and bazaars run on weekdays; visit during working hours to see the craft in action.
Getting there
By Air
Jamnagar Airport (~10 km).
By Rail
Jamnagar Junction.
By Road
City industrial lanes.
More in Jamnagar
SINCE 1964
The Endless Ram Dhun
Bala Hanuman’s non-stop chant — a Guinness world record. Explore →
CRAFT
Bandhani Tie-Dye
Thousands of tiny knots, tied by hand and dyed in brilliant colour — Jamnagar is one of the great homes of Bandhani, the tie-dye craft whose dotted patterns bloom across Gujarat’s festive cloth. Explore →
HEALING
Ayurveda
Jamnagar is India’s capital of Ayurveda — home to the country’s premier institute of Ayurvedic teaching and research, where the ancient science of life is studied, taught and practised for the world. Explore →
LEGACY
Ranji’s Cricket
Jamnagar gave cricket one of its immortals — Ranjitsinhji, the Jam Saheb whose wristy genius dazzled England, lent his name to the Ranji Trophy, and made this princely city a cradle of the Indian game. Explore →
What to eat
GHUGHRAGhughra
A Jamnagar sweet.
KACHORIKachori
Spiced and fried.
THALIKathiyawadi Thali
Saurashtra spread.
CHAASChaas
Spiced buttermilk.
Brass Craft FAQ
Why is Jamnagar called the Brass City?
It hosts thousands of brass units and is India’s largest hub for brass parts and ware, exporting worldwide.
What is made here?
Everything from temple bells, lamps and idols to precision components and fittings.
Can I buy brass at source?
Yes — the city’s bazaars sell directly, often at better value than elsewhere.
Can I see it being made?
Many workshops let you watch cutting, casting, spinning and polishing during working hours.
Is the brass exported?
Yes — Jamnagar brass reaches markets across the world.
When should I visit?
On weekdays during working hours, ideally in the cooler months.
Across Gujarat
2Gabbar at Dawn
Ride the ropeway before the pilgrim crowds arrive
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Bhavnagar’s white-marble crown — the hilltop Takhteshwar Mahadev temple, a serene Shiva shrine with sweeping views…
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Site of the great riverside mela
SHRINEAkshar Deri
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Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 3 July 2026