A slipper with a court behind it
Old and shared: the embroidered, pointed slipper was worn across the courts of north India, Rajput and Mughal alike. Court paintings show rulers in slippers worked with gold and jewels.
From court to village: the same basic shoe was worn by farmers and herders in plain leather, and by nobles and grooms in gold thread. Only the decoration changed.
The names: mojari is the usual Rajasthani word. Jutti is used across north India, especially in Punjab, and nagra for the style with a raised, curled toe.
- Shape
- Flat, closed toe, low back or none
- Toe
- Pointed, rounded or curled
- Sole
- Leather, stitched by hand in good pairs
- Left and right
- Traditionally cut the same
- Makers
- Hereditary leatherworking families
- No left or right: traditional pairs were cut identically for both feet. The leather shapes itself to each foot as you wear it, which is why the first week is hard.
- Still everyday wear: you will see plain mojaris on men at the tea stall and gold-worked ones on a groom on a white horse in the same street, on the same evening.
- Easy to slip off: a slipper without laces suits a land of temples, courtyards and carpets, where shoes come off at every threshold.
- Made for heat and sand: a flat leather slipper breathes in the desert summer, and sand that gets in falls straight out again. Herders walked hundreds of kilometres in them.
- A sign of the occasion: like the turban, the shoe changes with the day. Plain leather for work, colour for a fair, gold for a wedding, and nothing at all inside the house.
- In the paintings: look at the feet of the dancers and grooms in the murals of the Chitrashala in Bundi and the painted havelis of Shekhawati. The slippers are the same shape you will buy.
How a mojari is made
Tanning and choosing the leather
The upper: usually soft goat or camel leather, which takes embroidery well. Camel leather is a speciality of the desert, especially around Bikaner.
- The sole: thicker buffalo or cow leather, cut in layers for strength. The best soles are entirely leather, with no rubber or plastic.
- Vegetable tanning: traditional makers used leather tanned with bark and plant extracts, which gives a warm brown colour and a distinctive smell that fades with wear.
Cutting the pattern
- By eye and by template: the maker cuts the upper and the sole using old templates, often handed down, adjusting for the size and the style of toe.
- One piece or two: many uppers are cut as a single vamp that wraps the foot, with a separate heel piece for a closed back.
Embroidering the upper
Before stitching: the decoration is done while the upper is still flat, often by women working at home, who are paid by the piece.
- Thread work: coloured cotton or silk thread in flowers, paisleys and geometric patterns.
- Gold work: metallic thread, called zari or tilla, couched onto the leather for wedding pairs. Real gold thread is rare and expensive today.
- Beads, mirrors and cowries: the desert styles add mirrors, coloured beads and small shells, the same vocabulary as the embroidery of Barmer.
Stitching the sole to the upper
Hand stitching: the upper is turned and stitched to the sole with strong thread, usually waxed cotton, using an awl to pierce the leather. It is the step that tells good work from bad.
- No nails, little glue: a well-made mojari is held together by stitches. Glue may hold a lining, but should not be holding the shoe.
- The toe: for a nagra or a curled toe, the leather is shaped and stitched to rise and turn, and sometimes a tassel or pompom is added.
Finishing
- Lining and padding: a soft leather or cloth lining, sometimes with a thin cushion at the heel in modern pairs.
- Polish and edge: the edges of the sole are trimmed, smoothed and darkened, and the pair is tied together with a thread for the shop.
Styles for every foot and occasion
Men's mojari, with a closed back
Shape: a closed heel and a pointed or gently curled toe, in plain brown, black or embroidered leather.
- When: with a kurta for every day, or with a bandhgala jacket or achkan for formal evenings in Jodhpur and Jaipur.
- The groom's pair: heavily worked in gold thread, often matched to the colour of his turban and sash.
Women's jutti, light and decorated
Shape: lighter, often with a lower back or no back at all, and a rounded or pointed toe.
- Decoration: thread, beads, sequins, mirrors and pompoms, in every colour. The bridal pair is red or gold.
- With what: a ghaghra and odhni, a sari or a long kurta. Our guide to Rajasthani dress and textiles explains the outfits.
Nagra, the curled toe
- Shape: a raised toe that curls up and back, sometimes dramatically. It is the slipper of storybook maharajas.
- Who wears it: grooms, dancers and performers, and anyone who likes a little theatre. Folk musicians often wear them on stage.
Plain village mojari
- Shape: sturdy and undecorated, with a thick sole, made for fields, dust and long walks with animals.
- Where: sold in the bazaars of small market towns, and the best value in Rajasthan for a pair that will last for years.
New designs
- Fabric and fusion: many makers now sell mojaris with fabric uppers, block-printed cotton, velvet or brocade, and cushioned soles for city feet.
- Leather-free: pairs made entirely of fabric and synthetic soles are widely available if you prefer to avoid leather. Ask, and check the sole.
Where to buy, city by city
Jodhpur, around the Clock Tower
Where: the lanes around the Clock Tower and Sardar Market, and the old city streets that lead off them.
- What: classic Marwari men's mojaris to wear with a bandhgala, and embroidered women's pairs in bright desert colours.
- Pair it with: a tailor for a bandhgala jacket, made in a few days, and a turban lesson. Our Jodhpur guide has more.
Jaipur, Bapu Bazaar and Johari Bazaar
Where: Bapu Bazaar and Nehru Bazaar near Sanganeri Gate, and the lanes off Johari Bazaar. Our guide to the bazaars of Jaipur maps them.
- What: the widest choice in Rajasthan, from cheap printed pairs to fine hand-embroidered ones, and women's juttis in every colour.
- After dark: the shops are liveliest in the evening. Our bazaars after dark walk includes the mojari lanes.
Bikaner, for camel leather
Where: the old bazaar of Bikaner, alongside bandhani, silver and the famous bhujia.
- What: mojaris in camel leather, light and supple, often in natural colours with fine stitching. Prices are kind.
- Camels: the city's camel country is the reason for the leather. Our piece on the camels of Rajasthan tells the bigger story.
Jaisalmer, Barmer and the desert
- What: heavily beaded and mirrored pairs in the desert style, often by the same women who embroider the cloth of the region.
- Where: the shops below Jaisalmer Fort and the craft villages around Barmer.
Fixed-price benchmarks
- Rajasthali: the government handicrafts emporium on MI Road in Jaipur gives a fair idea of prices before you bargain in the bazaar.
- Our view: a benchmark is useful even if you buy elsewhere. Our shopping guide explains how we choose shops and why our guides never take commissions.
How to tell a good pair from a bad one
Check the sole: a good mojari has a leather sole stitched to the upper all round. A moulded rubber or plastic sole means a factory pair, which is fine if the price says so.
Check the stitches: look for even, tight stitches around the edge. Gaps, loose thread or a line of glue showing at the seam mean the shoe will not last.
- Sole
- Leather, stitched, not glued rubber
- Stitches
- Even, tight, visible round the edge
- Upper
- Real leather, not plastic-coated
- Embroidery
- Stitched through, not glued on
- Smell
- Leather, not chemicals
- Bend it: a hand-stitched leather mojari bends at the ball of the foot and springs back. Cardboard inside the sole will crack or crease.
- Look at the embroidery from behind: turn the upper back if you can, or look inside. Real embroidery shows its stitches through the leather. Glued patches peel.
- Feel the leather: real leather is soft, a little uneven and warms in your hand. Plastic-coated material is cold, shiny and perfectly smooth.
- Smell it: real vegetable-tanned leather smells earthy. A strong chemical smell usually means synthetic material or cheap dyes.
- Ask who made it: a good shopkeeper knows the maker, sometimes by name, and will tell you whether a pair is handmade or from a workshop.
Fit, and the first difficult week
Buy snug: leather mojaris stretch and soften. A pair that feels slightly tight in the shop will fit well in a week. A loose pair will slip off for ever.
Your toes should touch the front: but not curl. Your heel should sit firmly in the back, with no gap.
- Wear them in short spells: an hour on the first day, two on the second, at the hotel and on short walks, rather than a full day of forts.
- Wear socks at first: thin cotton socks protect your heels while the leather softens, and nobody in Rajasthan will think it odd.
- A little oil: many families rub a few drops of mustard or coconut oil into the inside of a new pair to soften the leather. Try it on a hidden spot first, because oil can darken some leathers.
- Blisters: a plaster on the heel and the little toe on the first two days saves a lot of grief. Pack some if you plan to buy.
- Embroidered pairs: they are often stiffer than plain ones, because the stitching tightens the leather. Allow a little longer to break them in.
- Know when to stop: if a pair still hurts after a week of gentle wear, it is the wrong size, not a stubborn shoe.
When and how to wear them
At a wedding: men often wear mojaris matched to the turban and sash. If we arrange turbans for your wedding party, we can match the shoes too.
For a celebration of your own: at a palace wedding or vow renewal, embroidered pairs for the whole party are a lovely touch. Our destination weddings page explains what we arrange.
- In temples: you will take them off at the door, which is where mojaris come into their own. Our guide to temple etiquette explains the rest.
- On marble and stone: new leather soles are slippery on polished floors and worn steps. Take care on palace stairs and stepwells until the soles roughen.
- In the rain: leather mojaris dislike water. In the monsoon, keep them for indoors and dry evenings.
- On a long day of sightseeing: a broken-in pair is fine. A new pair is not. Walk the forts in your usual shoes, as our packing guide suggests.
- With your turban: a mojari and a safa belong together. Our piece on the turbans of Rajasthan explains the colours.
Caring for a pair at home
Keep them dry: if they get wet, stuff them with paper and let them dry slowly in the shade, never on a radiator.
Feed the leather: a little colourless leather cream on plain leather every few months keeps it supple.
- Keep cream off the embroidery: clean thread and beadwork with a soft dry brush only.
- Store them stuffed: tissue paper in the toes keeps the shape, especially for curled-toe pairs.
- Repair rather than replace: any cobbler can restitch a sole, and the shoe will last years longer.
Buying mojaris as gifts
Sizes are local: shops use their own numbers, which rarely match European or American sizes. Bring a tracing of the recipient's foot on paper, and the shopkeeper will match it.
When in doubt, go a little larger for a gift: unlike your own pair, a gift cannot be broken in on holiday. A pair that is slightly roomy is easier to live with than one that pinches.
- Children's pairs: tiny embroidered mojaris with pompoms are a favourite gift, cheap and quick to choose. Children's feet are forgiving, and the soft leather suits them.
- For a man who has everything: a plain, beautifully stitched men's mojari in dark leather, to wear with trousers at home. It is the pair that gets worn, not kept in a box.
- For a bride or a party: a gold-worked pair is a special gift, best ordered a few days ahead in Jaipur or Jodhpur so the maker can match a colour.
- Packing: stuff each shoe with socks or paper, wrap the pair in cloth and pack it flat in the middle of your case. Curled toes travel best in their own box.
- Customs: leather goods are generally fine to take home, but rules on some animal products differ by country. Check your own country's rules if you buy anything unusual.
The makers, and paying fairly
Hereditary work: mojaris have long been made by leatherworking families, many from the Mochi community, with skills passed from parent to child.
Home embroidery: much of the decoration is done by women at home, paid by the piece. Fine work takes many hours, and the price should reflect that.
- Under pressure: factory shoes and cheap imports have made life hard for many hand makers, and some young people have left the craft.
- What helps: buying handmade pairs at a fair price, ideally from the makers or from shops that know them. Haggle lightly, if at all, over a hand-stitched pair.
- How we work: we take guests to makers and shops we know, never to commission emporiums. Our piece on the artisans we work with explains more.
Fitting mojaris into your journey
Buy at the start: a pair bought in Jaipur on day two will fit by the time you reach Udaipur. A pair bought on your last day goes home stiff.
Make it a craft day: combine mojaris with block printing in Bagru and tie-dye in Jodhpur. Our crafts page and textile shopping experience cover the rest.
- Buy
- In your first city, to break them in
- Allow
- An hour for a good shop
- Combine with
- Turbans, textiles, a tailor
- Best journey
- The textile and craft trail
- Follow the trail: our textile and craft trail moves from Jaipur's printers to Jodhpur's leather and dye lanes, with time to buy well.
- Complete the look: jewellery is chosen with the shoes and the cloth here. Our Rajasthani jewellery guide explains what goes with what.
- Where to stay in Jodhpur: Umaid Bhawan Palace or RAAS Jodhpur below the fort, close to the old bazaars.