Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

HANDICRAFTS

heated over a furnace. The wax drains out through a channel at the base of the wax model and molten metal is poured into the hollow space created. After the metal cools, the outer shell is split open and the cast metal figure is finished by chiselling. Tamil Nadu is one of the famous bronze-casting regions. Images belong to different periods — Pallava, Chola, Pandya, Nay aka. The icon-makers are known as stapatis. Metalware for daily use. An extensive range of cooking, serving and vessels for holding water are made all over India in bronze, brass, copper, and bell metal. Nagercoil, Trichur and Trivandrum in South India produce various styles of lamps known for their beauty. Traditional temple bells come from Madurai, Vagaikulam and Nagercoil. Metal mirrors : The ancient craft of metal mirrors mentioned in the Rig Veda and depicted in the temple sculptures of Khajuraho survives in the town of Aranmula in central Kerala. Here seven master craftsmen make metal mirrors ( Aranmula Kannadi) out of an alloy of tin and copper which is highly polished. Depending on their size the mirrors range in price anywhere from a few hundred rupees to several thou- sand rupees. BIDRI WORK Bidar (Karnataka) and Hyderabad are known centres of bidri work which is the inlaying of gold or silver on material which is usually an alloy of zinc with small propor- tions of some other non-ferrous metals which is then oxidised. The beauty of this art is in the contrast between the lustrous gold or silver inlay and the jet-black oxi- dised background. Besides traditional items like hukkas, betel boxes, goblets and flower vases, paper cutters, menu card holders, cigarette cases, ash-trays, fruit dishes, trinket boxes are also popular.

pattern modelled bangles and fine gold chains with pendants) have been popular in the cities of Bangalore and Mysore. Belgaum and Karwar are also well-known centres for jewellery. In Rajasthan, Jaipur and Alwar are fa- mous for enamel work in gold, silver and copper. At Jorhat in Assam, gold enamelling is done in different colours on lockets, ear- rings, bracelets and necklaces. Gems: India imports rough diamonds and offers a wide variety of cut and polished diamonds to the overseas buyer. (The Panna mines in Madhya Pradesh are the only local source of diamonds, although till 1925 India was the only source of mined diamonds in the whole world). Diamond cutting and polishing is one of the most an- cient crafts of India. Surat is one of the centres of the industry as well as Ahme- dabad, Morvi, Rajkot in Gujarat and Trichur and Trivandrum in the South. About 150 cutting and polishing units have been estab- lished in Bombay. The art of cutting precious and semi- precious stones is practised in several centres — Jaipur (emeralds), Hyderabad (pearls), Bombay, Madras, Mangalore, and Cochin and Calcutta. With the prices of gold and gems on the increase, there is a demand for imitation jewellery everywhere in the world. Uttar Pradesh accounts for more than 80 per cent of the production and export of costume jewellery in India. Varanasi is known for glass beads made from fused glass rods. METAL CRAFT Metal-ware in India may be roughly di- vided into religious images, ritualistic items and objects of utility. The metals used are brass, copper and bell-metal. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, bell-metal is a mixture of copper and tin. Bell-metal is most attractive with its soft surface and old gold tint. Kerala is famous for its bell-metal vessels, wide open, with flat or curved rims called urlis; they can be used as prestigious table-ware. A giant cauldron, called varpu is used in temples. Tiruvananthapuram, Irinjilakuda, and Kasargod are bell-metal centres. During the Gupta period (4th century A.D.) the Kurkihar centre for brass and bell metal in Bihar was known throughout the world. Two types of products are made nowadays — cast pots and bowls with the designs (delicately

lower half black or a dark colour and dokhra articles, figures of riders and elephants, candle stands, fish type sindhurdan (ver- milion box) etc. A special item, the flexible brass and silver fish, is made at Haveli Kharagpur in Monghyr District. Beautiful metalwares are made in sev- eral parts of Gujarat: Jamnagar, Wadhwan, Visanagar, Sihor. Uttar Pradesh is the largest brass and copperware making place. Indian metal craft plays an important part in the religious and community life of the people. The commonest objects are water vessels, cooking vessels, serving dishes and containers made of brass and copper. Lotas (small water pots) and thals (plates) are made out of sheet metal by alternatively heating and hammering the metal. Engraved brassware is made mainly in Moradabad (UP). The most popular items are aftabas or traditional Omar Khayyam type wine jugs, flower vases, trays, table lamps, ash trays, etc. Moradabad is the premier metalware producing centre in the country with more than 80 per cent of the country's production. Cobweb patterns enamelled in glowing colours emerge in highly polished brass and gleam through the overlay of colour. Two other important centres of brass work in Uttar Pradesh are Aligarh and Jalesar. Varanasi is also known for its brass and copper repousse work, executed mainly on wall plaques, trays, etc. In this work the relatively soft metal is beaten out from the undersurface to reveal itself in relief. Jaipur specialises in hanging lamps, enamelled trays and trinket boxes. Traditional bronzes: The metal icons of India, used in worship, possess unusual strength and elegance. The wax model is coated with several layers of clay till a thick, solid coat is obtained. The clay model is bound with fine steel wire. This is then