Arts and Crafts of Pondicherry

March 22nd, 2011 by admin

162 kms south of Chennai is a beautiful town called Puducherry(Pondicherry) which is known for its French connection,number of colonial heritage buildings, backwater and the unspoilt virgin beaches. Pondicherry is also a shoppers paradise. This Union Territory of India is known for coconut shell jewelery, antique furniture, textiles and silks,carefully finished leather products, beautiful pottery, aromatics and handmade paper.

Coconut shell Jewelery is available in most of the shops around Pondicherry. Earrings made of coconut shell are beautiful and available for as less as Rs. 20. Check few of them in the pic below. Also the lamp shades and small little baskets made using colorful threads are fascinating and one cannot resist buying them.

If you are looking for antique Tamil, Keralite, French and British colonial funiture, then Pondicherry is the place to be. On the way to chunnambar beach resort and on the way back to Chennai you can see number of shops along the road side that display and sell these kind of antique furniture. Another must buy thing from Pondicherry is the textile specially the cotton. Anglo-French Textile mill in Pondicherry is a l00-year-old company and the fabric from this mill are sold across Europe, the US, Australia and the Middle East.

Also popular are the leather products of Pondicherry that are carefully finished and made in a traditional way. You can choose from a wide range of products including the belts, purses, bags, leather garments, photo frames and leather boxes. Beautifull pottery made by skilled artisans are also popular in Pondicherry especially the incense stick holders, ceramic holders and diffusers. Aromatics like non – toxic incense sticks, scented candles, perfumed oils and sachets are equally famous and are ideal as souvenirs. Candles embossed with real petals are the specialty of Pondicherry.

Handmade paper from Pondicherry that come in variety of the colors and textures is counted among the most popular Indian products that is appreciated all over the world. Sri Aurobindo Handmade Paper Factory which is run by the Ashram started in the year 1959 is renowned for the hand made paper. Different products are made from the handmade paper include greeting cards, book covers,Paper bags, albums and photo frames.

Nehru Street, Mission Street and M G Road are lined up with numerous shops that offer a variety of things that you can buy from Pondicherry. Auroville is also a great place to buy the craft items and hand made products.

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Temples exhibit India’s rich tradition of stone craft – Part II

January 12th, 2011 by admin

The second part of “Temples exhibit India’s rich tradition of stone craft” tries to explore Shravanabelagola, Ajanta and Ellora caves, Elephanta caves to find out their contribution to India’s tradition of stone art.

An important Jain pilgrim centre, the city of Shravanabelgola is 158km from Bangalore. Located on the Vindyagiri hills in Shravanabelgola is the 57 feet monolithic statue of the Bhagavan Bahubali, also popularly known as Bhagwan Gomateshwara. This statue which was built in 10th century AD by Chamundaraya, a minister of Ganga King is the world’s largest monolithic stone statue. This 1000 plus year old statue indeed is testimony to India’s rich tradition of Stone craft and was rightly voted by the readers of Times of India in 2007 as the first of Seven Wonders of India.

A UNESCO world heritage site, Ajanta caves is located near the city of Aurangabad in Maharastra. 29 caves at Ajanta and 34 caves at Ellora which were chiseled around 2nd century BC and the 8th century AD were gradually forgotten and was accidentally discovered  in 1819 by John Smith, a British Army Officer while hunting tiger. These caves are home to numerous painting and carvings inspired from the life of Buddha. Numerous carvings and paintings with various decorative themes like ornamental, human, animal, vegetative, and semi-divine forms can be found all around these caves. Cave 16 of the Ellora caves constitutes the Kailasa temple which is again an architectural wonder since the entire composition is chiseled out of a monolith.

Close to Mumbai is the Elephanta Island where the Elephanta caves are located.  The elephant caves that dates back to between the 5th and 8th centuries consist of 7 caves of which are a group of 5 Hindu caves and another group of 2 Buddhist caves.  The caves are adorned with magnificent carvings of Lord Shiva in different forms, scenes from the life of Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha and Kartikeya and animals and Birds like Garuda, Lion, and Monkeys. The main cave also known as the Shiva cave was a regular Hindu place of worship until the Portuguese rule. Unfortunately, Portuguese caused severe damage to these caves during their rule. In 1970s these caves were renovated and in 1987, the Elephanta caves were designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.

These temples and caves which date back to centuries are the living examples of India’s ancient tradition of stone art.

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Temples exhibit India’s rich tradition of stone craft – Part I

December 16th, 2010 by admin

Konark Temple,  Rameshwaram Temple, Temples of Belur and Halebidu, Shravanabelagola, Ajanta and Ellora caves, Elephanta caves are among the huge number of ancient temples and caves in India that are testimony to India’s rich tradition of Stone craft.

Konark Temple was built by King Narasimhadeva in the 13th century.  Every wall of Konark Temple has carvings of God, Goddesses, dancers, musicians, man, woman, animals, flowers and geometric designs. While the main sanctum which was of 229 ft. high, Dancing Hall (nata Mandir) and the Dining Hall (Bhoga-Mandap) are in ruins, the 128 ft audience hall has survived the test of time. Built in the shape of chariot with exquisitely carved seven horses and elegantly ornamented twenty four wheels, this Temple of Sun God is a marvelous example of India’s rich tradition of stone craft.

Built in the 12th century Ramnathswamy also known as the Rameshwaram temple is situated close to the sea. 1212 gigantic magnificently carved granite pillars that are the part of world’s longest corridor, 1220 meters of magnificent corridors and the 54 meter tall gopuram (gate-tower) makes Ramnathswamy Temple an exemplary of Stone craft of India.

Likewise, the Temples of Belur and Halebidu in the state of Karnataka are the masterpieces with plethora of carvings. These Temples were built by King Vishnuvardhana of Hoysala Dynasty . The walls and the pillars of these temples are ornamented with carvings of dancing poses of (Queen Shantala Devi(King Vishnuvardhana’s wife), scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata, animals, birds and flowers.

To be continued……

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Leather Crafts from India

December 1st, 2010 by admin

Leather lampshade

Stuffs made out of exotic leather are increasingly gaining popularity.  Leather that is obtained from crocodile, python and ostrich among many is known as Exotic leather. Across the world, products made of leather like Jackets, Blazers, pants, skirts, bags, purses, belts, wallets, gloves, shoes, briefcases, etc are widely used, more often to make a fashion statement.

The usage of leather probably started in the pre civilization era when man used the animal skin for clothing.  Even in India, leather has been in use from time immemorial and continues to be in great demand even today. Hindu tradition depicts sages and Gods sitting on deer and tiger skin. In ancient times leather was used to make bags, saddles, armor, kopi (leather bottle).  Leather industry in India today caters to the changing needs of both the Domestic and International markets.

kohlapuri chappals

Rajasthan is famous for the Lampshades that are made of leather. Decorative saddles from Bikaner and Jaisalmer are equally popular. Also, very famous are the Mojdis (foot wear) from Rajasthan. Traditional designs and geometric patterns make the leather products from West Bengal unique. While Kashmir is known for ornamental leather products, Madhya Pradesh is known for the embroidered red leather products. Gwalior, Indore, Bilaspur and Dewas are into making of Shoes, bags and leather garments. Kohlapur in Maharashtra is famous for Kohlapuri chappals which go best with Indian attire. In Gujarat, the leather is used to make various articles like mojdis, bags, horse pattas, fans, bells, mirror frames and cushion covers. Down south, Andhra Pradesh is known for leather puppets and Karnataka is famous for leather products that are painted with epic and mythological scenes mostly in gold and silver.

These leather products from the different states of India are appreciated by the people across the globe.

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Diwali Arts and Crafts

October 27th, 2010 by admin

Fancy earthen diyas

 

New clothes, Jewelery, Gifts, crackers, sweets, variety of delicious food and of course the poojas and prayers makes Diwali, the time to rejoice and enjoy. Diwali will be celebrated from 3rd to 7th Nov this year. The first day of Diwali is Dhana Teras or Dhanatrayodashi. The second day of Diwali is Naraka Chaturdhashi or Kali Chaudas or Choti Diwali. The third day of Diwali is the actual Diwali when Goddess of wealth Lakshmi is worshipped. The fourth day of Diwali is New Year day or Govardhan-Puja or Annakoot and the fifth and final day of Diwali is Bhayya Duj. Each day has its own significance and is celebrated in different way across the country. For more on how each day of Diwali is celebrated and the myths, legends and beliefs associated with each day, please click here. 

Extensive use of arts and crafts can be seen during Diwali. It is said that Goddess Lakshmi visits the houses/offices that are clean, beautifully decorated and well lit. Hence during Diwali, houses are cleaned and Rangoli patterns are drawn in front of the house.  While the white powder is used to draw the patterns, different colours are used to decorate it. Rangoli is drawn to decorate the home so as to welcome the God and the Goddess and to ward off the evil. Door hangings or door garlands are known as torans and are very significant during Diwali. Flowers and torans of mango leaves are hung on doorways. Many varieties of artificial torans are available in the market like the Floral Torans, Mirror Work torans, Embroided torans and dori torans. These torans makes the entrance attractive and is very welcoming.  The houses and the offices are well lit by placing the earthen diyas or candles in and around the house. From the basic earthen diyas to the fancier ones, you can chose from the plethora of options available. 

Diwali is also the time for giving and receiving the gifts. Sweets, chocolates, dry fruits, clothes are extensively used for gifting. Gifts like handmade chocolates, handmade candles, handmade crafts like diary, boxes and paintings are in vogue with the corporates.

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Magnificent glimpse of arts and crafts of India during Common wealth games

October 5th, 2010 by admin

Giant puppets - CWG2010

The opening ceremony of Common wealth games Delhi 2010 was an extravaganza that gave a magnificent glimpse of arts and crafts of India. The show was divided into seven segments called Rhythm of India , Great Indian Journey , Celebration, Yoga, Swagatam, Rajasthan Puppets and The Knowledge Tree.

Nearly 1000 drummers mesmerized the audience in the segment Rhythm of India. Traditional drums of Ladakh, dhol of Punjab, chenda of Kerala, pung cholom of Manipur, wangla of Meghalaya, koya  of Andhra Pradesh and dhollu kunitha of Karnataka were showcased in this 20 min segment.

Great Indian Journey displayed the life of villages through milkmen, blacksmiths, bazaars, street circus, street vendors etc. Classical dances of India were performed by hundreds of artist in the segment called celebration.  India’s another major contribution to the world Yoga, was performed by nearly 2000 students. Another 1000 plus students rendered the welcome song ‘Swagatam’ with live mehndi designs. Another major attraction of the night were giant puppets that were hung from aerostat. These vibrantly colored puppets were made of terracotta and measured 15-20 feet.

Tree of knowledge - CWG 2010

Another fascinating segment was the ‘The Knowledge Tree’ that showcased the Vedas and Indian classical music. The knowledge tree also highlighted the weavers of India.  The tree of knowledge was a 90 foot tall artificial tree which was made of bamboo and had lot of textile treatment with foliage of chinar and peepal leaves that were heavily embroidered and decorated. 500 artisan and 300 weavers took 3 months to complete this under the guidance of designer Madhu Jain and model- actor Milind Soman. Opening ceremony that displayed the tradition, heritage, arts and crafts of India was appreciated by people across the globe.

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Arts and crafts of Gujarat

September 28th, 2010 by admin

Mirror work on Ghaghra choli

Embroidery, Textiles, weaving, dyeing & printing techniques, furniture, jewelry, leatherwork, beadwork, mirror work, baked clay articles, etc. handicrafts made from wood, stone & metal are among the famous arts and crafts of Gujarat. Gujarat is one of the vibrant states of India which has carried forward the legacy of its glorious past through the arts and crafts. The arts and crafts of Gujarat truly reflect the culture, heritage and lifestyle of the state.

Embroidery is inherent to the people of Gujarat. Be it the Salwar suits, Ghagra cholis , odhnis, bed spreads, cushion covers, bags or the wall hangings, one can find embroidery in everything. Patola embroidery, in which geometric designs are made with silk yarns, is famous among the different types of embroidery practiced in Gujarat.

cushion cover with mirror work

Representing the cobblers stitch, Ari embroidery is one of the ancient types of embroidery of Gujarat. Ari Embroidery is done on silk or satin with the awl. Sauf embroidery by the Sodha community is equally old. Another extremely popular craft of Gujarat is the zari work. Zari work is done using threads of silver, gold or their imitations. Rabari Embroidery, Kathi embroidery, Abhala( mirror work) are other prominent embroideries of Gujarat. Many of these embroideries have been incorporated in the mainstream Indian fashion from time to time. Many years back there was a craze for garments adorned with mirror work. Zari work on saris and salwar suits was quite popular in India few years back.

Applique or Katab, Block Printing, Wood carving, decorative like horn covers, forehead covers, saddles for bullocks, camels and horses and leather embroidery are other interesting crafts of Gujarat. These arts and crafts are not only aesthetic but are also very important from the commercial point of view.

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Chikan Work of Lucknow

September 21st, 2010 by admin
Chikan work of Lucknow

Chikan work on salwar kameez material

City of Nawabs, Lucknow is synonymous for the wonderful craft called chikan work(also known as chikan kari). It is believed to be derived for the Persian work Chakin or Chikeen which means a kind of cloth designed with needle work. Chikan work’s origin is ambiguous and there are many stories related to its origin. According to many chikan kari was introduced by Noor Jahan wife of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. While many others believe that during the sixteenth century white work from Bengal was influenced by the Portuguese traders and during the eighteenth century when Bengali migrants who came from Dacca to settle in Lucknow brought this art to the city.

chikan work on men's kurta

With needles of various sizes, stitches are made on the design which was traced on fabric using blocks. Interestingly no frames are used while carrying out chikan embroidery work. Originally embroidery was done on white tanjeb(the muslin from Dacca) using only white untwisted cotton or tussar silk for embroidery. Today the embroidery is made using untwisted white cotton or silk or rayon threads on the any kind of fabric. Stitches that are popularly used in chikan work are Taipchi (stem stitch) and Bukhara (inverted stem stitch). There are three major categories of the stitches.  They are  flat stitches that lie close to the surface of the fabric, embossed stitches that are highlighted and the jail wok which gives the net kind of effect. Types of chikan work that are popular today are Bakhia, Phanda, Chaana Pati, Ghas Patti, Murri, Jali, Hatkati, Pechni, etc.

You can find chikan work on sarees, salwar kameez, kurtis, skirts, caps etc. The intricate embroidery enhances the look of the fabric and gives a nice feel. The chikan work is done purely by hand which makes it expensive as compared to the others that are machine made. It usually takes 10-15 days for the craftsmen to complete the embroidery. Chikan work on fabric is in huge demand in India and worldwide which means that this craft provides livelihood to many craftsmen in the city.

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Arts and Crafts of Kerala

September 17th, 2010 by admin

There’s much more to God’s own country than the Scenic back waters, lovely hill stations, sprawling greenery and relaxing beaches.  Numerous arts and plethora of crafts of Kerala are equally fascinating and are renowned worldwide.  Kathakali, Kalaripayatt, Bharata Natyam, Mohiniyattam, Loodiyattom, Chavittunadakam and Poorakkali are among the numerous famous art forms of Kerala.  Similarly, the crafts of Kerala display the rich cultural heritage of the state. Intricate designs, skillful craftsmanship and use of vibrant color give a distinct look to the Handicrafts of Kerala.

Metal carvings and wooden carvings are popular in this place.  Beautiful carvings of god, goddess, mythological figures, flowers etc are made on metal and wood like rosewood and sandalwood. The musical instruments that are used for traditional dance forms are handmade and they are carved out of a single piece of wood. Marquetry is also done in wood, ivory and buffalo horns which are quite interesting. Wooden Kathakali masks are found in almost every shop in kerala and are ideal as souvenir.  Since Kerala is home to large number of elephants, the paintings and figures of these mighty animals are also popular. Abundance of coconut in the state has resulted in a flourishing coconut shells and coir products industries. Coconut shells are used to make cups, spoons, powder boxes, flower vases, ash trays, bowls etc. Carpets, mats, purses are beautifully made out of simple coir. Another important product of amalgamation of art and craft of Kerala is mat painting. As the name indicates, the painting with different themes like nature, landscapes, God and Goddess are made on the mat which have bamboo reed frames on top and bottom.

Cane furniture, Palmyra Leaf Weaving, granite statues, Kora Grass Mat making, snake boat models are some of the other specialties that Kerala has to offer to the patronizers of arts and crafts.

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Shawls of India

September 14th, 2010 by admin
Shawls

Shawls

On a cold winter day, all one needs is a hot cup of tea/coffee and a shawl to snuggle in. Derived from a Persian word “shal”, Shawl is a rectangular piece of cloth used to keep oneself warm during the cold days.  Counted among the finest Quality shawls is the Pashmina Shawl from India which is appreciated worldwide for its Design, softness, light weight and endurance. Again pashmina is derived from the Persian word which means wool.  This Pasmina wool is got from the hair of changra goats which are found in Ladakh.  Since the pashmina wool is weightless, some amount is silk is added while making the shawl.  The price of the Pashmina shawls depends on the quantity of pashmina wool and silk used in the shawls. The Larger the amount of pashmina wool in a shawl, greater the price will be. Some of the finest shawls cost around a few Lakh Rupees. Needless to say, Pashmina shawl is the famous craft of Kashmir.

Kanikar and Amlikar are the two principal classes of shawls. While the former ones, also known as tilikar or tilliwalla are loom woven shawls, the later ones are embroidered shawls. Apart from Kashmir, Amritsar and Ludhiana are other important centers of shawl productions. Bengal’s Kantha Shawls, Kullu Shawls, Gujarat’s Bandhini shawls, Himru shawls of Aurangabad and Hyderabad and shawls from the states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur are also popular and they effectively contribute towards the rich crafts of India.

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