The Mughal era gave rise to the century-old footwear industry in Agra, which now accounts for a sizeable portion of India's leather market. The largest footwear cluster in India is located in this historic city.

The artform

The process of tanning entails removing undesirable material from the animal's skin and is applied to raw leather that is obtained from dead animals. The raw leather is first immersed in a salt solution to prevent the moist skin from decomposing. Next, the skin is dipped in a tarwar tree bark mixture to aid in the skin's transformation into leather. After that, the leather is ready for the final product by having the heels cut and polished for a more appealing, waterproof appearance.

GI tag

This age-old craft was bestowed with the GI tag in 2023.