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Arts and Crafts of Karnataka

The marvelous creations of arts and crafts of Karnataka is evident in the palaces as well as the elite bungalows of the past. It reveals the royal delicacy and the expertize and efficiency of the craftsmen.

The arts and crafts of Karnataka lie in even the articles of day to day use like an earthen pot. The arts and crafts of Karnataka is traditional. They have evolved through ages from one generation to another. If you ever visit a handicraft village in the state of Karnataka, you will be stunned at the sight of the villagers who always sit in groups and enjoy their work.

The arts and crafts of Karnataka includes the works on various objects such as woods, ivory, stones, sandalwood, metals and so on.

Some important facts about arts and crafts of Karnataka are:

* The works of wood especially the rosewood and the sandalwood are a delight to the tourists.

* Ivory art is typical to the state and is so unique that the objects of ivory art have been preserved in the museums outside the country as well.

* When we talk about the stone carvings in India we should always mention the name of Karnataka producing wondrous works on stones.

* The arts and crafts of Karnataka is popular for the toys made of wood as well as of leather. Such toys include the puppets as well.

* The Mysore paintings probably need no introduction. They are famous all over the world.

Thus, whenever you go to Karnataka try to visit the villages which have a hoard of craftsmen and artists creating the arts and crafts of the state.

Wood Carving

Wood Carving is a traditional art of India as also of Karnataka. It amazingly exhibits a person's efficiency as well as imagination which can transform a simple log of wood into a marvelous object of art.

The works of wood carving are predominant in various parts of Karnataka. Whenever you go to the state never ever forget to see the intricately embellished wooden ceilings, doors as well as lintels. They are ornamented with nicely carved patterns. These outstanding craftsmanship points towards the rich cultural heritage of this sphere of art in the southern part of the country.

Wood carving in Karnataka exhibits the traditional art of unique wooden handicrafts. These woodcrafts are employed both for utilitarian as well as architectural purposes.

Karnataka has a densely populated forest reserve, hence it can provide enough raw material for its craftsmen. The wood carvings here are made by using the trees like:

* sal

* teak

* sheesham

* dudhi

* redwood

* rosewood

* red cedar

* ebony

The objects made of rosewood form the shopper's delight. Amazingly carved rosewood elephant is very famous.

The wood carving of Karnataka display the ancient techniques for:

* carving

* inlay-work

* coating

* painting

* lacquer articles in wood.

Age old temple wood architecture in Karnataka is the best specimen of wood carving.

The ceilings and gateways of royal houses as well as the temples reveals hundreds of intricately carved figures of gods and goddesses. The Maharaja's palace in Mysore and the mausoleum of Tipu Sultan in Srirangapattna are the signatures of the expertize of the craftsmen who have done the marvelous woks of wood carving.

So next time when you go to Karnataka in India, make it a point to walk into the villages where you can actually witness the people creating the astonishing pieces of woodcrafts.

Ivory Carving

India especially the state of Karnataka is a land of elephants and hence a place which has excelled in the art of ivory carving. This art is unique and surpasses all other handicrafts of India in its style, representation and above all its beauty.

Ivory carving is a predominant craft practiced in the entire state of Karnataka. If you visit a village of sculptors you will witness people of all ages busy with their chisels, knives and fine files in making wonderful pieces of ivory craft.

The ivory carving depicts mostly the images of god and goddess. These include especially the images of Lord Krishna in various moods. You will also find the images of the mother goddesses.

Apart from the religious motifs and the images of the deities, the ivory carving of Karnataka include:

* various ornaments like earrings, bracelets, necklaces etc.

* unique showpieces with intricate designs

* small ornament boxes

* sticks with ivory handles

* furnitures adorned with ivory

* various animal figures especially depicting the elephant

In the recent years, however the work of ivory carving at Karnataka is going through a phase of setback. The government has become very strict in order to restrict the poaching of elephants. The statistics made for the last few years show that the number of elephants in the state has drastically fallen down chiefly due to poaching. If this is not handled promptly the elephants from Karnataka will be extinct in no time. But most unfortunately this has brought a bad time for the ivory carving.

A few of Mysore's marvelous creations in ivory are preserved in the Heritage Museum in Russia and in the South Kensington Museum, London.

stone carving

The art of stone carving in Karnataka has been a tradition through centuries especially in Hoysala, a notable town in the state. The technique of carving is so unique and well mastered over hundreds of years that an expert of this field can identify the type of stone simply from the sound they emit while beaten.

You will be surprised to know that the people engaged in stone carving designates stones as 'male' or 'female' while carving the sculptures of gods or goddesses respectively. The stone carving is made out of 'neutral' stones for other objects.

The experts religiously follow the norms specified by the Dhyanashlokas while doing the stone carvings in the different villages of the state of Karnataka.

The following steps are generally followed by the sculptors of Karnataka while doing the stone carving:

* the stone is cut in proportion

* a sketch of the proposed image is done

* with steel rods, mallets, chisels and files the crude stone is gradually given a form

* gradually the final image is formed

* the stone sculpture is smoothened with sandpaper

* it is then rubbed with coconut oil

The excellence and the expertize with which a stone carving is made is evident from the marvelous rock cut temples of Karnataka. Each region of the state reveals its own style of stone carving. They make the decorative items such as the statues of animals and humans as well as numerous articles of household decorations and uses.

One of the most popular subject of stone carving in Karnataka is the image of Lord Krishna. You will find the images of Shiva-Parvati among many others.

The sculptors of Karnataka are best of all. They have achieved the master crafts-man awards at the national level for their stone carving.

Sandalwood Craft

If you ever go to an emporium belonging to the state of Karnataka you will inevitably get the sacred fragrance emitted by the sandalwood craft kept there. The marvelous art objects made of the soft sandalwood are popular for their style, presentation and above all for their unique fragrance. It is often said that if a sal or any other ordinary tree grows in a sandalwood forest it gains the smell of sandal. The fragrance of sandalwood has a relevance with the Indian tradition, culture and religion. In a Hindu temple the rituals for the worship of the deity cannot be done without a piece of sandalwood.

The sandalwood craft is really an amazing creation of Karnataka. Mysore in Karnataka is known to the world equally for its vast sandalwood forests as well as the hoard of the royal elephants. A major portion of the sandalwood craft made in this area is found to depict the royal figures enjoying elephant ride. The intricate designs made on such sandalwood crafts of Karnataka are really astonishing and reveals the expertize and efficiency and above all the patience of the craftsmen. The unique fragrance of these masterpieces will take you to a world of holiness and eternal bliss.

Almost the entire state of Karnataka produces the sandalwood craft although special mention should be made of the highly skilled workers, the gudigar families of Shimoga, Uttara Kannad and Mysore districts. They are specialized in this field and their works really stand apart.

Another significant aspect of the sandalwood craft in Karnataka is the depiction of the image of Lord Krishna. Krishna images are extremely popular among the devotees. There is a peculiar style wherein the Lord is seen standing cross legged with a flute in his hand. This particular image is very popular to the experts of the sandalwood craft.

The sandalwood craft in Karnataka include the articles like lamp shades, trays, jewel boxes, decorative articles, combs and even walking sticks with rosewood handles.

Doll Making

Karnataka is located in the southern part of the Indian Peninsula and is known to the world as a seat of traditional Indian art and craft which includes the peculiar art of doll making. The art is unique in its style and presentation. It is a characteristic feature of the Indian craftsmen, especially of those belonging to the state of Karnataka, that they can turn the simple day to day articles into marvelous objects of art.

Doll making of Karnataka takes up speed as the days of Dusshera approaches. It is the time when the dolls are evenly arranged on wooden platforms, decorated and displayed. The festival marks a nine day long exhibition of those dolls. If you ever go to the state of Karnataka during this festival you will find the people are ecstatic, colorful and in a real festive mood. The craftsmen from the interior villages in the state are seen busy selling their explicit creations. The craft of doll making is indigenous and often involves all the generations together. It is a memorable sight in a Karnataka village that even the small children are busy in making dolls with their parents and grandparents.

The regions of Kinnal and Gokak in north Karnataka and Channapatna on the Bangaluru are famous for doll making. It has taken a form of small scale handicraft industry in these areas. The people are quite occupied with the craft and to most of them, doll making is the source of bread and butter.

Doll making in Karnataka includes the art of making puppet. You will find many wood artisans as well as painters making a variety of puppets. Apart from the wooden puppets, Karnataka also makes leather puppets which are more popular.

Metal ware

Metal ware is a traditional craft of Karnataka, a state in the southern peninsula of India. It provides means of earning livelihood to numerous families in the state. The marvelous works on metals fascinate those who come to this state. It attracts the tourists and thereby earn money for the villagers who carve these extraordinary articles.

The metal ware of Karnataka has a rich age old tradition. They are used for the religious as well as the secular purposes.

The works of Karnataka metals are seen in the temple town of Udupi. It is known for the small images as well as the ritual objects of metal ware. Karkala which marks one of the oldest centers of the Jains is famous for the metal ware icons.

Mangalore lying in the west coast of the state presents a wide range of metal ware especially in the form of household objects made of bell metal.

The metal ware includes the works of bronze casting, the best collection of which is found in Nagamangala near Mysore. The works here are specially known for the depiction of the anatomy of the human body.

Bidar in Karnataka is known all over the world for bidriware. This peculiar craft of the region in and around Bidar include the metal ware done on a plate of zinc, copper, tin as well as lead. The articles made in Bidri are :

* ornamental jugs

* bowls

* plates

* pen holders

* candle sticks

* paper knives.

The Mysore paintings

The Mysore paintings originated in Mysore during the days of the Wodeyars. Mysore paintings form a significant tradition of the classical south Indian paintings.

The Mysore paintings are famous for their elegance, peculiar usage of colors and the stress on detailing.

It is almost similar to the paintings done in some other place known as Tanjore. Thin gold leaves are used in the Mysore paintings. It requires tremendous hard work, patience as well as extraordinary expertize and proficiency to make a piece of Mysore painting.

The Mysore paintings generally depict the images of Hindu gods and goddesses. The most notable and famous among the Mysore paintings is the depiction of the Lord Shrinath who is supposed to be the 'avatar' or the incarnation of Lord Vishnu or Shri Krishna. The painting is a colorful one with intricate designs where the Lord is seen against a black background.

Another very popular and frequently seen Mysore painting depicts Lord Ganesha on his Singhasan or throne.

Nowadays these paintings from Mysore form a much desired souvenir especially during the festivals in South India.

The following steps are carried out while making the Mysore paintings:

* the base is made with a cartridge paper pasted on a wooden background

* a preliminary sketch of the image is made on the base

* a paste of zinc oxide and Arabic gum is made

* the raised parts of the paintings are done first, like the jewelry or the throne

* the painting is allowed to dry

* thin gold foils are then pasted on the surface

* the rest is painted with water colors (only muted colors used)