|
Coconut Shell Craft
Coconut shell craft is a popular craft in Kerala as coconut trees are found in abundance here. A high degree of skill is required for carving coconut shell as it is hard. The main centre for coconut shell craft is Calicut district in Kerala. The common products are cups, flower vases, snuff boxes, sugar basins, nut bowls, powder boxes and spoons etc and also products decorated with brass, which are in great demand. |
|
Ivory
For much the same reason, you might be able to admire but do be very careful about buying beautifully sculpted creations made from ivory. Elephants are also on our protected list and only old ivory can be used sold, but then if its too old the buyer might have trouble taking it out of India. Indian antiques cannot be exported without permission.
Aranmula Kannadi
Aranmula kannadi is special type of mirror produced at Aranmula, a village in the state of Kerala in India. These unique metal mirrors are the result of Kerala's rich cultural and metallurgical traditions. The British Museum in London has a 45 centimeter tall Aranmula metal mirror in its collection. |
|
The origins of the Aranmula metal mirrors are linked with the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. Legend has it that eight families of experts in temple arts and crafts were brought by the royal chief to Aranmula from Tirunelveli district to work in the Parthasarathy temple centuries ago. Some undisclosed metals are alloyed with copper and tin to cast the mirrors. The procedure and metallurgy is now only known to a single family in Aranmula. To achieve their highly reflective surface, the finished mirrors need to be polished for one or two days.
The major differences between an Aranmula kannadi and a normal mirror are:
• The Aranmula kannadi is not created from glass but from a special metal alloy.
• It is a front surface reflection mirror, so the secondary reflections and aberrations typical of back surface mirrors are not present.
Payyannur Pavithra Mothiram
 |
The Payyannur Pavithra Mothiram is a uniquely crafted golden ring shaped like a knot and considered to be a sacred ornament. The sole right to make this holy ring was vested in the hands of a particular family at Payyannur in Kannur district. This ring is believed to be a luck and grace to anyone who wears it with devotion. |
Coir Products
Making of coir and its products one of the main village industry of Kerala. Coir is extracted from the protective husk of the Coconut. Coir is used to make a range of floor coverings, door mats, floor Mattings and rugs, crush-proof pile carpets, Flowered Mourzouks etc. The mats come in a range of colours and intricate designs. Besides that rubberised coir, a blend of coir and latex, is also used to make mattresses and cushioning. The husks separated from the nuts, are retted in lagoons upto ten months. The retted husks are then beaten with wooden mallets manually to produce the golden fibre. The fibre is later spun into yarn on traditional spinning wheels called "Ratts", ready for dyeing and weaving into myriad shades of floor coverings. Some of the main centres for coir products are Alleppey, Kollam and Calicut. The products are exported on a large scale to other countries.
Woodcarving
Kerala has one of the richest traditions in wood carving. Temples and palaces are the best preservers of the wood-carving styles of Kerala. Doors, windows and ceilings of most of the ancient houses are testimonial of the high level of craftsmanship and tradition of wood carving. Carvings are made on rosewood, sandalwood, cedar wood and teak. Life-size wood carved figures which are highly stylised with exaggerated features, gestures and postures like the characters of Kathakali dance drama, mythological and religious figures were produced. Now items also include intricately carved Elephants in different postures, other animal figures, paper weights, lamp stands, Jewellery Boxes like Nettoor jewellery boxes in its unique conical shape, with brass edgings at the corners, decorative furniture etc. Kerala style of work on sandalwood and rosewood is quite distinct from that prevalent elsewhere.
Metal Inlaid Wood Craft
The main centre for the craft is Ernakulam district in Kerala. Rose wood and white wood pieces are cut into required sizes and pasted on a plywood base according to the particular design and polished. The brass metal pieces are fixed in different designs to make the final product. The product include Dancing Lady, Peacock, Candle Stand, Star Wheel, Kathakali Heads, Key Stand and Butterflies etc.
Screw Pine Products
Screw pine mat weaving is an ancient craft and one of the major cottage industries in Kerala. Three types of mats are woven with Screw pine leaves. The main centres of this craft in Kerala are Karunagapalli Taluk of Kollam Dist, Mavelikkara and Karthikapalli Taluks of Alappuzha dist. Thazava, Vachrai and Vallikunnam Panchayaths, some villages in Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam Districts. Screw pine leaves are also woven, hand embroidered and shaped into products like household linen, straw hats, and carry bags.
Horn Carving
Horn carving is an ancient craft practiced mainly by artisans belonging to Viswakarma Community in Thiruvananthapuram. A wide range of products like flower set, birds, animals, combs, cigarette cases, lamps etc. are made out of horn.
Bamboo Mat Paintings
Bamboo mat painting is one of the major craft in Kerala. The artisans initially make mats of required size as canvas and paint on it. Painting on the mat requires more concentration than ordinary painting. Most of the paintings are human and religious figures, animals, birds, scenery etc. in different size and in attractive colours. The products looks beautiful with bamboo reed frames at the top and bottom.
Metalwork
Metal work is an ancient art of Kerala. The production of Temple bells and lamps have been in existence from very early times. Kerala is a home of bell-metals. Gleaming bell metal alloyed from a mixture of brass, tin and copper provide the raw substance for making tower-like lamps. Different types of cooking vessels, like the magnificent 'Varpu', tumblers for drinking etc are some of the other bell metal items. Trivandrum, Irinjalakuda and Kasargod are the main centers of bell-metal. The religious icons from Kerala has a wonderful directness, devotion and serenity associated with them like the unusual icon of the tandava dance, known as gaja tandava or gajasamhara, where Shiva is crushing the demon in an elephant form. The chief centres in Kerala for icons are Trivandrum, Payyanur is Cannanore district, and Angadipuram in Palghat district. A special and famed product of Aramula, a village near Chengannur in Kerala is the metal mirror made out of an alloy of copper and tin and its polished face resembling glass because of its wonderful reflecting quality.
 |
|
Other crafts
Papier-Mache Masks - Papier -Mache masks of Kerala dancers in different poses are available. Kathakali faces are one of the common subject matter of Papier-Mache. Banana Plant fibre, Cora grass, Rice straw etc are used to make various products. Banana fibre is woven into floor coverings, each a square foot in size, are then stitched together according to the size desired, Rice straw is used to form a silken collage of native scenery on black silk and Cora grass is used to make mats are best examples for the above.
|
