Indexing India’s Stones

Marble, sandstone and flaggy limestone activity is mainly spread over the state of Rajasthan. Slate, meanwhile, is quarried mainly in Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh; granite activity is spread all over India’s southern peninsula, covering states of Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Stone handicrafts activity is spread all over India.
While numerous varieties of stones are found throughout the country, some states lead the field. What follows are brief descriptions of the stone industry in leading states.

RAJASTHAN
Marble – Splendid varieties of marble are spread all over Rajasthan, mainly in the districts of Nagaur, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Banswara, Dungarpur, Jaipur, Sirohi, Bhilwara, Ajmer, Bundi, Alwar and Pali. Prominent centers for processing and quarrying of marble in Rajasthan are:
• Makrana – Makrana White was used for the Taj Mahal. Makrana is now a developed marble center with hundreds of marble quarries, modern slab/tile processing and stonecraft units. Important varieties are Super White, Albeta, Adanga, Kumari, Doongri and Pink..
• Rajsamand – Deposits of a variety of white and grayish-white marble like Morwar, Agaria, Dholikhan, Arna, Jhanjhar, and Dharmeta exceed 387 million tons with 2,000 mining leases. Rajsamand has fast-developing quarries using diamond-wire saws, chainsaws and handling equipment and has about 200 modern gangs aw and 20 tiling plants spread over a stretch of 40 km² from Nathdwara to Kelwa and Amet
Udaipur- Deposits exceed 100 million tons. The major variety is Rajasthan green (and multiple varations like Crocodile, Olive, Sea Green, Imperial Green and Emerald Green) quarried from Rikhabdeo-Kesariaji, 60 km from Udaipur City. Udaipur also produces Pink marble with white and black veins. The city has fast-developing modern quarries, about 150 modern gang saws and 20 marble-tiling plants
Banswara – A variety of white to off-white soft dolomitic marble that’s fine- to medium-grained. Banswara has fast-developing modern quarries using diamond wire saws, chainsaws and the latest handling systems.
Jaipur – With deposits of more than 50 million tons, Jaipur produces a variety of white and grayish-white marble with the important varieties of Pista, Onyx, Indo-Italian and Black. Jaipur has modern quarries using diamond-wire saws and chainsaws, several modern gangs saw and tiling plants, and is also a throbbing trade outlet for exports and marble handicrafts.
Granite – Granite reserves in Rajasthan are estimated at 1.128 billion m² (39.8 billion ft²) and spread over the districts of Barmer, Jalore, Pali, Sirohi, Alwar, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Tonk, Ajmer, Bhilwara, Sikar and Udaipur. The granite processing and quarrying center is Jalore, with hundreds of small tiling plants. The quarries in Jalore produce a wide variety of stones of excellent quality and colours
Sandstone – Sandstone reserves in Rajasthan, estimated at 900 million tons, are found in the districts of Bharatpur, Dholpur, Kota, Jodhpur, Sawai-Madhopur, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Bikaner, Jhalawar, Pali and Jaisalmer. Sandstone processing centers in the state are Dholpur, Karauli, Hindaun City, Sikandra, Bijolia and Jodhpur. Many major historical landmarks in India, such as Red Fort, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, India Gate, Umaid Bhawan Palace and Fatehpur Sikri are made of Rajasthan sandstone.
Slate – Slate deposits in Rajasthan, estimated at 50 million tons, are spread over the districts of Alwar, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, Pali, Udaipur, Churu and Chittorgarh.
Flaggy limestone – Kotastone from Kota is a fine-grained limestone in distinct colors of greenish-blue and brown. Non-water-absorbent, no-slip and non-porous, Kotastone is a preferred stone for flooring and cladding. The yellow flaggy limestone from Jaisalmer is renowned for its consistency in color; An interesting variety of the stone contains exotic fossils. Flaggy limestone activity in Rajasthan is centered in Ramganjmandi (near Kota) and Jaisalmer. The stone is installed throughout the world, in places such as London’s Underground and airports in Zurich, Switzerland, and Frankfurt, Germany.
Stone Handicrafts – Most of the units are cottage businesses in Rajasthan, and are estimated at more than 1,000. Most of the value-added stonecraft units are located in clusters.

ANDHRA PRADESH
Granite – Andhra Pradesh is one of the largest producers of granites in India, with 17 out of 23 districts offering different varieties of granites. Jet Black, Black Galaxy, Blue and white-colored are exclusive varieties in the international market. The estimated reserves of commercial granites are approximately 251 million m² (8.86 billion ft²) in the state.
Slates/Phyllite – There are vast deposits in Prakasam, Guntur and Nalgonda districts. Some of the varieties are already being exported to Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
Marble – Deposits are mainly in Khammam, Cuddappah, Guntur and Nellore districts.
Flaggy limestone – Different colors of flaggy limestone are extensively found in Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda, Guntur, Anantapur, Cuddappah, Kurnool and Mahbubnagar districts. Black flaggy limestone from Cuddappah is well-known all through India.

TAMILNADU
Tamilnadu is also a leading granite producing state in India. Most of the world-renowned granites are produced in the state, which has the best-developed granite quarries in the country and an excellent export infrastructure. Dharmapuri district is one of the leading districts for black granite.

KARNATAKA
Karnataka is endowed with rich varieties of granite resources. The peninsular gneisses, closepet granites and younger granite intrusions are the main sources of ornamental stones in Karnataka. The pink migmatic granite and gray granite of peninsular origin are attractive and widely used. Pink propheries and pink granites of closepet groups add to the varieties.

ORISSA
Orissa holds many of the lesser-known varieties of granite. Oriyan granite displays a range of colors, such as black, gray, blue, pink, white, green and multi-colored.

UTTAR PRADESH
Red granite from Uttar Pradesh is one of the largest sellers in northern India. Deposits of Pinkish Red granite are spread over an area of more than 11,000 km² (6,835 square miles) in the Lalitpur, Jhansi, Hamirpur and Banda districts as a part of the Bundelkhand Granite Complex deposits stretching into the neighboring states of Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Lalitpur also holds vast deposits of the popular sandstone varieties of Lalitpur Grey and Lalitpur Yellow.
Marble in Uttar Pradesh occurs mainly in two districts, Pithoragarh and Mirzapur.
Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal, is also a major center for production of stone artwork like inlay, carvings, sculpture.

GUJARAT
Gujarat produces one of the finest varieties of fine-grained white marble in its Ambaji Region. Ambaji also produces black marble popularly known as Abu Black.
Gujarat also produces lesser-known varieties of granite (Black, Pink, Chocolate and Brown) in the Sabarkantha District. Black granite is also found in the districts of Amreli, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Surat, Bharuch and Banaskantha.
Sandstone from Gujarat is buff, beige, or off-white.
Gujarat is also a major center for stone handicrafts; Dhrangadhra is important in the stone engraving industry.
Ahmedabad in Gujarat is one of the most-important areas for manufacturing the tools and machinery for the stone sector.

MADHYA PRADESH
Madhya Pradesh produces one of the finest sandstones in India, Shivpuri Mint. Marble from Katni and Jabalpur is gaining wide acceptance in the national and international market; Madhya Pradesh also holds some deposits of lesser-known varieties of granite in the Chatarpur district.

OTHER STATES
Other important states in the stone sector are Kerala and Bihar for granite; Himachal Pradesh and Haryana for slate/quartzite; and Maharashtra as a exporting center for stones as well as a major producer of tools, machinery and consumables. And, stones are found all over India in states Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, and Mizoram, as well as other Eastern states.

For more information, contact Kulveer Singh, Centre for Development of Stones (CDOS) – kulveer@cdos-india.com, www.cdos-india.com

This article first appeared in the September 2003 print edition of Stone Business. ©2003 Western Business Media Inc.