276. Guledgudd Khana

Guledgudd Khana is a traditional fabric for Choli or Blouse which compliments the Ilkal saris, as this combination is widely used not only in the northern part of Karnataka but the Marathawada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra also. 

Be it a marriage or any other big or small function or any other celebration or ceremony, the combination of Ilkal Saris and Guledgudd Khana are being used widely. While the aged women wear the Ilkal Saris and Guledgudd Khana in their traditional Maharashtrian style, the younger generation wears it in their modern fashionable style. 

There is no definite historical evidence as to when the handloom weaving industry started at Ilkal and Guledgudd. But according to the popular belief and circumstances, it might have been started in the 8th century when the Chalukya Dynasty was in power in this region.

Image credit: silkal.in

The unique designs produced by using dyed yarns represent the traditions followed by people of some regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra states. The motives used for the designs in Guledgudd cluster are extracted from nature, ancient stone sculptures of Badami and from the Hindu Mythology. Except these traditional designs no other designs are accepted by the users of Khana.

Most of the designs of the Guledgudd Khana are replicates of the 

• Suryanarayana, the face of the Sun God

• Siddeswar Mukuta, the face of Siddeswar God

• Theru, the Chariot

• Ane Hejje, the footsteps of elephant

• Tulsi Pan, the Tulsi leaf

• Sooji Mallige, a fragrance giving flower etc.

Guledgudd Khana can be weaved using both handlooms and power looms. The handlooms are either pit or frame looms. The power looms are mainly plain looms with dobby attachments. The basic raw material of the cluster is Silk and Art Silk (Viscose) and Cotton yarn, procured in the form of hank.

All the preparatory activities such as yarn winding, twisting, dyeing etc. are carried out in preparatory houses and then supplied to weavers in the form of warp and weft. The ‘Khana’ merchants hire small weavers and supply the necessary materials for weaving. The weavers’ carries out the weaving of the fabric and hand it over to Khana merchant. 

The dye which is predominantly used for dyeing the yarn meant for Guledgudd Khana is Indigo dyes. The dyeing of cotton carried out by the Guledgudd artisans of Khana manufacturing is unique. The dyeing of cotton with Indigo dyes is carried out in special earthen pots/copper vats which are buried in the ground. This will enable the dyer to maintain the required temperature conditions. 

The warp yarn from warping machine is taken to sizing process. This process is carried out in the open and known as street sizing. Sizing paste (Starch and a gummy substance which is retrieved from a tree called “Jali”) is applied on to the yarns by using a hand brush and dried in the sun light. Natural materials are used for sizing the yarn.

The small design motifs produced by using extra threads allow the fabric to use both sides and hence they are reversible. The extra thread design motifs produced on open ground structure make the fabric air permeable and breathable. Therefore these fabrics are cool and hence most preferred for summer wear.

GI Tag Registration Date         : 31 March 2016

GI Tag Number                         : 210

Certificate Number                  : 252

Geographical Area                  : Karnataka

Special Cover Release Date   : 28 July 2022

Cancellation                             : Guledgudd 587 203

Type                                          : GI Tag Cover

Cover Identification Number  : KTK/028/2022

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262. Kamalapur Red Banana

Kamalapur Red Banana is a special variety of Red banana which is exclusively grown in the valley of Kamalapur village and its surrounding areas in Kalaburagi district of Karnataka, India. Red banana is a triploid cultivar of Musa acuminata, belonging to the AAA group.

It is popularly called as rich man’s fruit. Plant is 20-25 feet tall and it is 18-month crop. The crop is generally resistant to diseases. On hill slopes, it is cultivated under rainfed conditions. On lowlands furrow or drip irrigation method is followed. It is unique to Kamalapur and surrounding areas such as Rajnal and Navanihal region of Gulbarga District of Karnataka.

Image credit: plantparadise.in

Fruits are slightly thickened towards base, apex indistinct, the fruit tapers to apex. 5 to 7 in a bunch; 15-20 fingers in a bunch rather compact. The rind when ripe red, medium thick. The pulp, cream-coloured with possesses a pleasant flavour and delightful taste. It is rich in iron content.

Biological Classification of Red Banana is as follows:

Kingdom     : Plantae 

Division      : Magnoliphyta 

Class          : Liliopsida 

Order         : Zingiberales

Family       : Musaceae 

Genus       : Musa

Species    : acuminata

Though crop can be grown in different weather condition where the other banana can be grown as the plant grows very tall and the trunk is very tall, and the trunk is lanky, it cannot with stand the heavy winds. Therefore, it cannot be grown in plain lands as it is susceptible to wind damage. As the surrounding area of Kamalapur is surrounded by hillock from three sides, it suited for this crop. Hence it is grown in Kamalapur and adjacent areas.

The red banana is rich in iron, the fruit has got good flavour and it is advised by local doctors to the typhoid patients particularly for children suffering from fever. 

GI Tag Registration Date         : 04 September 2009

GI Tag Number                         : 133

Certificate Number                  : 115

Geographical Area                  : Karnataka

Special Cover Release Date   : 26 March 2022

Cancellation                             : Kalaburagi 585 101

Type                                          : GI Tag Cover

Cover Identification Number  : KTK/010/2022

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261.Udupi Saree

Udupi Sarees are hank yarn dyed (or coloured) and hand-woven Saree, a traditional product manufactured in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka. Udupi Sarees are socio-culturally associated with the people of Karnataka especially to the southern part of the coastal region due to its confluence with the religious and other festivities of these regions.

Udupi Sarees are produced either with check design in the body with solid border or Plain Saree with Butta designs. The traditional Udupi Sarees are woven with coloured cotton yarn (dyed yarn) of finer counts along with coloured art-silk yarn and half fine zari.

Image credit: gitagged.com

The dye which is predominantly used for dyeing the yarn meant for Udupi Saree is Vat dyes. The Vat dyes are preferred due to its excellent colour fastness property. The Udupi Sarees are famous for its luster and colour fastness due to the best dyeing quality and techniques.

In almost all the cases, the yarn for pallav portion of the saree is dyed in dark shade. The extra weft designs are woven with attractive colours to get more attraction and enrichment of saree pallav by using one type of tie & dye method. 

Tie and dye method are applied while preparing the warp. Firstly, entire warp of the saree is dyed with one colour and the yarn for pallav with another colour (matching to the body) is applied and the rest of the warp yarn is tied using rubber tubes.

Sizing is a process by which a natural starch solution is applied to warps to strengthen the yarn in order to protect it from abrasion in the healds and reeds of the loom. In these districts, unlike other handloom centres, the method of ‘loom sizing’ is practiced. 

Here the sizing material is applied directly to the yarn while the weaving is in progress. That is, the sizing material is applied to that portion of the warp yarn, which is about to pass through the healds and reeds while weaving. Hence, the sizing is normally carried out in the weaving shed itself. 

Natural materials such as Rice or Maize form the important ingredients of the sizing material, which is boiled and diluted as per the climatic conditions and requirement. A special brush with bristles made from the parts of a typical palm tree is used to brush the yarn during the process of sizing.

The looms used for weaving Udupi Sarees are frame looms known as Malabar looms. The Malabar looms are very strong looms with fly shuttles. Moreover, it is suitable for sarees with plain border, with extra warp and cross border designs. 

Rampant usage of modern or improved devices such as lattice dobby and jacquard for making intricate designs using dyed yarn in the border, cross-border, pallav (or Pallu) and also for buttas in the body is prevalent in this cluster.

The uniqueness of the saree is its contrast colour in pallav and border portions as compared to the colour of body portion.- i.e. one colour in pallav and border and another colour in the body. In order to get this specification, the Cut border technique is used. 

In this technique, three shuttles are used i.e. two shuttles for the borders and pallav and one shuttle for body portion. In this technique the weft yarn of the body and the saree is inserted across the body and the border. The border is then woven with the help of the two shuttles kept for weaving the border. Further, single yarn is used for weaving the body and double yarn is used to weave the border.

GI Tag Registration Date         : 31 March 2016

GI Tag Number                         : 224

Certificate Number                  : 253

Geographical Area                  : Karnataka

Special Cover Release Date   : 25 March 2022

Cancellation                             : Udupi 576 101

Type                                          : GI Tag Cover

Cover Identification Number  : KTK/029/2022

Each cover is numbered.

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260. Karnataka Bronze Ware

Karnataka Bronzeware dates back to several centuries when craftsmen meticulously sculpted idols of gods and goddesses. Craftsmen work on the metal to create bronze statuettes, each of which is a masterpiece. The captivating eyes of idols reflect calmness and their gleaming surfaces take you back to the era of myths and legends.

Using their deft fingers and skilled hands, craftsmen cast the solid or hollow metal by the lost wax process, pouring their imagination into the mould. After casting, intricate designs are worked on the metal, to give life to their creations.

The bronze casting process in Karnataka is ritualistic and has been practiced as a traditional craft till now since the last 200 years without changing the process. In Karnataka Bronze casting flourished under Chalukyas, Rastrakutas, Hoysals and the Vijayanagara period.

Image credit: globalinch.org

Another interesting part to note is the divisions done for a particular sculpture prior to its making which is very specific to Karnataka and is based on the Shilpashastras. The craftsmen who make the images in Bronze are known as ‘Stapathies’. They should be well versed in ‘dhynanaslokas’, which gives the physical attributes to the deity. This helps Stapathy decide proportions of body of the image.

Before taking up the making of wax model for masterpiece, the shloka given in the Shilpashastras is chanted and details are worked out as per the drawing and followed with the preparation of wax modelling. The artisan takes note of the proportion and measurements as laid down in Shilpashastras for icon making and makes a pattern rule.

This was earlier done with a narrow ribbon of coconut tree leaf cut to the icon length requirement and folded at different lengths in proportion to the length of various parts of the icon. Now, artisans just use the drawings from their ancestral databank. The unit of measurement in icon making is tala , which is the distance between the hairline and the end of the lower jaw.

The tala is divided into 12 equal parts called angulas (equivalent to the breadth o f a finger). Each angula is divided into eight yava (the size o f a barley grain) and so on until the smallest unit, a paramu (smaller than the end of a single hair). The craftsmen use traditional tools, most of which are made by them.

GI Tag Registration Date         : 28 March 2008

GI Tag Number                         : 62

Certificate Number                  : 52

Geographical Area                  : Karnataka

Special Cover Release Date   : 20 March 2022

Cancellation                             : Bengaluru GPO 560 001

Type                                          : GI Tag Cover

Cover Identification Number  : KTK/032/2022

Each cover is numbered.

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India Post has also issued a commemorative postage stamp on Karnataka Bronze Ware. Details of the same is furnished below

Handicrafts of India 
Geographical Indication (GI) registered Handicraft Products
Issued on 31 December 2018 

259. Ganjifa Cards of Mysore

Ganjifa Cards of Mysore is the name given to an ancient Indian card game. The specialty of these cards is that they are traditionally hand-painted. This was a game that was popular and played across Medieval India. Each region in the country had its own form of the game.

The original Indian card game known as Kreeda Patra was a popular royal amusement. However, with Persian and Arabic influences during the Mughal era, the Kreeda Patra cards of ancient India came to be known as Ganjifa cards. The name Ganjifa comes from the Persian word “Ganjifeh” which means playing cards. 

Image credit: gitagged.com

The rise of the Mysore ‘Chada’ Ganjifa cards was brought about in the 19th century, under the rule of the then Maharaja of Mysore, Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (1794-1868). Given that the main aim of the game was to teach, learn and tell stories from the ancient scriptures and holy books, all the 18 games in the Mysooru-Ganjifa Style were set to stories and shloka’s from the Hindu Purana’s, stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata etc.

The following are the 18 games created by the Maharaja of Mysore. 

• Chamundeshwari 320 leaves bunch 

• Jaganmohan 360 leaves bunch 

• Mahisha Mardhana 216 leaves bunch 

• Naveena Dashavatara 240 leaves bunch 

• Naveena rama 36 leaves bunch 

• Navagraha 216 leaves bunch 

• Sadyujata 72 leaves bunch 

• Sri Krishnaraja 72 leaves bunch 

• Panchapandava 216 leaves bunch 

• Devi Dashavatara 180 leaves bunch 

• Dikpala 160 leaves bunch 

• Manohara 160 leaves bunch 

• Sarva Mangala 160 leaves bunch 

• Navaratna 160 leaves bunch 

• Ramayana 96 leaves bunch 

• Dashavatara 120 leaves bunch 

• Sarvasam rajya 636 leaves bunch 

• Astaishwarya 320 leaves bunch

The book titled ‘Sritattvanidhi’ is the monumental work of Maharaja Wadiyar III where the names of the card games devised by the Maharaja are mentioned in the last chapter, named ‘Kouthuka Nidhi’. The details, like the number of cards used, significance of each style of iconography, and colour combinations, and the corresponding ‘shlokas’, are all collected and organised.

The unique feature of the Mysore Ganjifa cards lie in the fact that these are traditionally hand-painted typically on circular or oval cards, using natural colours rich in minerals , vegetable dyes with fine squirrel hair brush adhering to the traditional tools and techniques. The Various mediums like Ivory, tortoise shell, mother of pearl, gold and silver are extensively used to create intricate works framed in circular shape. 

GI Tag Registration Date         : 28 March 2008

GI Tag Number                         : 60

Certificate Number                  : 50

Geographical Area                  : Karnataka

Special Cover Release Date   : 20 March 2022

Cancellation                             : Bengaluru GPO 560 001

Type                                          : GI Tag Cover

Cover Identification Number  : KTK/031/2022

Each cover is numbered.

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258. Mysore Betel Leaf

Mysore betel leaf is a variety of heart shaped betel (Piper betel) leaf grown in and around the region of Mysuru, Karnataka. It is consumed as a betel quid or as paan. Mysore betel leaves are said to differ from other betel leaves because of their smooth texture and hot taste.

The betel plant is a tropical plant, so it needs a warm and humid climate to grow properly. It thrives best under shade and in a temperature ranging from 10 to 40 degrees. The presence of black clay in the soil along with the hot, humid climate gives the Mysore betel leaf special characteristics.

Image credit: starofmysore.com

Consuming betel leaves has been the culture of Indians since time immemorial. It is used during hindu religious functions and festivals as an auspicious thing offered to God at the time of pooja. A sheaf of betel leaves is traditionally presented as tamboola as a mark of grace, respect and auspiciousness in the Indian Culture. It is also offered to the elders for their blessings and during wedding ceremonies

The Mysuru variety of betel leaves are culticated from the period Mysuru Maharaja in palace gardens as well as in villages surrounding Mysuru. Now it is found in Uduboor, Toreyenakatoor, Marballi and Kalale villages of Mysuru. This has very smooth and tasty leaves, which is popularly known as ‘Mysore Chigurele’ ( Mysore sprout leaf) and used for chewing along with areaca-nut.

Mysore Betel leaf can be cultivated in the uplands as well as in wetlands. The traditional variety Mysore Veelyedele is generally grown as a single crop with supporting trees and other varieties are usually grown in areca-nut or coconut plantations as intercrop.

Mysore-betel leaf (Chigurele or Veelyedele) has been traditionally used as ink, stimulant, laxative and contraceptive and has held pride of place in cultivation within villages and palace gardens since the time of the Wodeyar Maharajas of Mysore.

Betel leaf (Piper betel L.) is a popular ingredient in many traditional cuisines, and is known for its distinctive flavour, aroma, and medicinal properties. The leaves are also used for medicinal purposes, including to treat gastrointestinal disorders, ease flatulence, and improve digestion. 

Betel leaf has a number of potential health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. These compounds may have numerous applications in the food industry, such as in food preservation, flavour enhancement, and the development of functional foods.

GI Tag Registration Date         : 30 January 2006

GI Tag Number                         : 34

Certificate Number                  : 28

Geographical Area                  : Karnataka

Special Cover Release Date   : 20 March 2022

Cancellation                             : Bengaluru GPO 560 001

Type                                          : GI Tag Cover

Cover Identification Number  : KTK/30/2022

Each cover is numbered.

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