Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

encyclopedia

HANDICRAFTS

inscription at its base and attributable to

the Rashtrakutas.

Lion-shaped throne supports — Eastern

India — 12 A.D. — Victoria and Albert

Museum, London.

Dampattu and Krishna — Orissa — 1300

A.D. and 1700 A.D. respectively.

Panels from a box — Mughal - c.1700

A.D.

Palanquin — Mysore - 19th A.D. — Na-

tional Museum, New Delhi.

A relief depicting marriage of Shiva and

Parvathi — Madurai Nayakas — Now in

the collection of Victoria and Albert Mu-

seum, London.

Infant Jesus - c 16th century when Por-

tuguese prosperity in India brought in its

wake some remarkable pieces of Indo-

Portuguese art.

Tirumala Nayaka and his queen — 17th

century A.D. — Temple museum,

Srirangam.

A Vijayanagara prince — National Mu-

seum, New Delhi — A fine example of

portrait sculpture in ivory.

Ivory chairs belonging to Tippu Sultan —

Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Ivory palanquin donated by the Mysore

Maharaja to Tirupati temple.

Inlay work in ivory

Asgar Mahal in Bijapur, Karnataka —

with the Quranic verses inscribed in

ivory.

Mysore palace doors - 18th century A.D.

Stringed

instruments

Tambura,

Veena, Sitar, Sarod etc.

Furniture with ivory inlay work from

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh — One

of these exquisite pieces is a dressing

table purchased by Lord Clive and his

family.

Method of manufacture

Ivory, which has created such beauty

and charm, essentially is the tusk of the

male elephant. The teeth and horns of other

animals are also of ivory but they are not

very suitable for carving. The tusk of the

elephant has a warm, pearly tone and ab-

sorbs stains and dyes easily.

An ivory craftsman would primarily ac-

quire expertise in stone carving and sandal-

wood carving before venturing into the field

of ivory craft. Steel, chisel, hammer, sand-

paper, awl, file, wheat stalk for polishing,

fish scales, ivory powder and saw were

some of his tools and implements. The thin

natural film over the ivory was removed

through a chemical reaction or by the “heat

and cool” method before the commence-

ment of carving. The ivory was cut into a

definite size with the help of the saw; the

figure would be drawn on ivory with a lead

pencil and then chiselled to work out the

exact form and proportions.

Cuttings and shavings were used for in-

lay work.

With the international ban on ivory trade

through export and import, India has lost the

raw material for one of its glorious crafts-

manship. In a land considered to be the

cradle of ivory art, the industry has totally

collapsed. A magnificent heritage is lost.

( V I )

TOYS AND DOLLS

The production of toys depends on the

raw materials available in each region. In

Rajasthan toys are made of cloth and pa-

pier-mache. In Uttar Pradesh and some

parts of Bengal from clay and in Gwalior

there are toys of soft stone and wood.

Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh is fa-

mous for its wooden toys which are realistic

and known for attention to detail. The

themes are drawn from village life and de-

pict scenes such as a man climbing a palm

tree, a boy tending cows, a figure working on

a spinning wheel etc.

Among lacquered toys, the products of

Chennapatna in Karnataka occupy a high

place. Typical Chennapatna items are the

snake charmer, musicians playing on vari-

ous instruments, etc.

Other well-known centres of toy-

making are: Toupadana (near Ranchi in

Bihar) which specialises in abstract wooden

toys, Gokak in Belgaum District of

Karnataka which is noted for its artificial

fruits and vegetables. 'Kinhal' range of toys

including chowki, swings, cradles, animals,

lifesize figures, mother and child motif is

also famous — Koppal Taluk (Raichur

district). Gujarat which is famous for its

animal toys made of embroidered or

appliqued fabrics and Madhya Pradesh

which produces leather animal toys.

CANE, BAMBOO, GRASS

AND REEDS

Cane, bamboo, grass and reeds as well

as the coconut and date palm leaf are used to

make baskets and mats, boxes, trays, toys

and dolls, wall hangings etc.

In Assam, the sieves, and winnowing

fans are artistically made. The tray is made

in the twill technique in which the weft

strands pass over and under two or more

warp strands at a time, producing a diaper

design. Fishing contraptions are prepared

from bamboo and cane each with a distinct

shape.

Palmyrah

grows

practically

everywhere, and naturally the palm leaf is