SRINAGAR, Feb. 27 -- As he walks into the sunset, Ghulam Nabi Shah, 74, vividly remembers his heydays when he started tilla artwork at a small shop outside the shrine of Amir Kabir Mir Syed Ali Hamdani (R.A.) at Khanqah-e-Moula.

For 60 years, Shah has nurtured the art with blood and sweat. Even machines could not beat his zeal and art. "Tilla craft is highly valued in Kashmir. People who love this craft always go for handmade tilla works. Machines do not thrill them. Handmade till works require time and that is why people place orders in advance," he said.

Shah said not every fabric can have a machine-made tilla. For example, machines cannot be used for tilla works on the pashmina. "The importance of the handmade tilla works has not bee...