Brass broidered coconut shell craft of Kerala is the craft of making beautifully carved and brass broidered products using coconut shells as practiced by the artisans of Kerala in India. This art requires great skill on the part of the artisan as the shell is extremely hard. The main centres of production in Kerala are located in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode Districts.
Brass broidered coconut shell products include Malabar hookahs, bowls, cups, small boxes, flower vases, snuff boxes, sugar basins, nut bowls, spoons, lotus, puttu maker, key chains, agarbathi stands, clock, different types of cups, buttons, beads, necklace, flowers, lockets, hair clips, soap box etc.
The raw material for this craft is the Coconut shell. Some of these items are produced with brass decoration work through lost wax process. Colour combination of coconut shell with brass gives an excellent appeal.
Image credit: gikerala.in
Coconut Shell has good durability characteristics, high toughness and abrasion resistant properties, it is suitable for long standing use. The shell is similar to hard woods in chemical composition though lignin content is higher and cellulose content is lower. It also has a high hardness and micro porosity which increases its durability and absorption and retention capacity.
The craftsmen of Kerala have created art and craft from the coconut shell which adorn the showcase of homes across the world as collectors delight. The tools mainly used are grinder, different files, hacksaw, mattor (tool for making a perfect edging of the coconut shell), akamthondi (tool for cleaning the inner surface of the shell), hand driller and sand paper etc.
The shell of required size is selected, its outer surface rubbed by a steel tool while the inner part is smoothened with a chisel. A circular base and a handle separately made with shell are attached to the cup by fixing screws. First boot polish is applied and then a final coating of French polish is given for high class finishing. It also involves the casting of whole bell-metal article.
In the process of manufacturing Ayurvedic medicines hookas are used as one among the instruments to extract the medicinal vapour to mix with the medicine. When other hookas are made by glass and brass, the Malabar Hookas are made by eco-friendly coconut shells distinguished by taste when inhaling through other hookas.
GI Tag Registration Date : 10 July 2008
GI Tag Number : 57
Certificate Number : 73
Geographical Area : Kerala
Special Cover Release Date : 08 July 2022
Cancellation : Koyilandi 673 305
Type : GI Tag Cover
Cover Identification Number : KL/21/2022
A sample of Brass braided coconut shell craft pasted on the cover.
Enlarged View of Illustration
Enlarged View of Cancellation
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