India Brand Equity Foundation (2022) exclaimed the significant economic contribution of the handicraft industry in all of India. Nevertheless, the focus is on South India with its rich art and craft culture, especially the handicraft industry (South India Temple Tours, no date). That includes Indian states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala for various items, culture, and economics handicraft industry offer (ibid., no date). There will be a summary and samples of significant handicrafts from four Indian states to demonstrate the richness of the handicraft industry of South India.
Summary of South India’s Handicraft Industry
South India’s art and crafts rely on the handicraft Industry (A A Recreation, no date).. Around India and the world, the handicraft industry is part of their livelihood in South India (ibid. Woodcraft has been around blessed with “plentiful forest” to make items with different types of wood like “shaped figurines, wooden toys, and furniture” (ibid.). Handicrafts come in a variety, such as silk garments, metalware, and more (ibid.). Lastly, stone carving has adorned temples; conversely, metal handicrafts like bidri showcase everyday utensils (ibid.). Along with pottery and embroidery as part of the daily lives of South India, there is so much to explore in the famous handicraft industry to pinpoint some significant products (ibid.).
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh is in Southeast India (Filpro, 2019, Figure 1). Andhra Pradesh is famous for having an enormous collection of handicrafts (Sharma, 2020). Some of its most prominent handicrafts are Banjara Needle Crafts, Budithi Brassware, Durgi Stone Craft, Veena Manufacturing, Bidri Craft, Dokra Metal Crafts, Nirmal Arts, Bronz Castings, Kndapalli Toys, Lacquer Ware (Bharatonline.com, no date). The most significant sample is the “400-year-old craft tradition,” the Kondapalli Toys, “made of wood in Kondapalli of Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh made from softwood known as Tella Poniki, which are found aplenty in the nearby Kondapalli hill” (Sharma, 2020, Figure 2). Kalamkari Art is the other colourful craft famous for 3000 years of history throughout India with “23 arduous steps of dyeing” onto “cotton or silk fabric” (Sharma, 2020, Figure 3). The pictures of Andhra Pradesh scratched the surface of the South Indian Handicraft industry with the colourful and artistic handicrafts they have shown power in India.
Karnataka
The second state in South India is Karnataka, west of Andhra Pradesh (Filpro, Location of Karnataka in India 2016, Image 4). Its handicraft industry is famous for its worldwide luxurious items, such as Terracotta Pottery, Banjara Handicrafts, Ilkal sarees, Kinhal Wood Carving, Sandalwood Carving, Channapatna Lacquerware, Navalgund Dhurrie, Kasuti Embroidery, Gokak Toys, Rosewood Carving, Bidiriware, Silk Sarees, Metalware, and Chittara Drawings (KSTDC, no date and Sharma 2020). The most renowned is the Sandalwood craft dedicated to “Hindu deities and boxes” with photo frames and some with elephant Image s (Sharma, 2020, Image 5). The other famous handicraft is Mysore paintings, “patronised by Mysore rulers,” which transitioned from traditional materials like vegetable and mineral colours to modern materials like watercolours, posters, and paper with lush golds (Sharma, 2020, Image 6). Both shape the state of Karnataka to display its power of luxury, culture, and pride in the handicraft industry to show itself the future.
Tamil Nadu
In the Southeast tip of India, the state of Tamil Nadu comprises various handicrafts (Sharma, 2020, Image 7). Its handicraft industry produces products like “Tanjore glass paintings, Kolu dolls, grass mats, Muthangi, metalware, Toda embroidery, applique, and stone carving (Sharma, 2020). More famously, women still produce Toda Embroider to create a “traditional shawl of Puthkuli worn by both men and women” with “alternate of red and black stripes” that has motifs of animals and geometry (Sharma, 2020 Image 8). The other is Tanjore Painting, not to confuse with Myose Painting; glass beds and pieces, gold foils, and rich, vivid colours are usually glossed over the Tanjore Paintings (Sharma, 2020, Image 9). Tamil Nadu is the other state of India that displays another unique aspect of the world in Southern India.
Kerala
Lastly, Kerala is at the Southwest tip of India (Filpro, Location of Kerala in India 2016, Image 10). Kerala has some the unusual, tropical handcraft industry like Ivory Handicrafts, Coir and Cane Products, Lacquer Wire, Wooden Handicrafts, Coconut shell Handicrafts, Screw Pine Products, Banana Fibre Handicrafts, and Kathakali Papier-mache Masks (BoonToon, 2017). The most famous is the Kathakali Mask, known for its dancing tradition, with greenish facial features decorated with gold and beards (Sharma, 2020 Image 11). The other product to showcase daily life from birth to death in Kerala is the Coir Product which is to see the coconut crucial to their lives (Sharma, 2020, Image 12). Kerala’s indigenous handicraft industry is unique for having different handicrafts, unlike other Southern Indian states, for utilising different materials and methods (A A Recreation, no date).
Conclusion and Learning More about South India’s Handicrafts
The four states of India are still creating some of the richest cultures in the world, including their handicraft industry. India should view its country with pride and potential where there is more to show its Handicraft Industry to show how diverse they are. As much as the pandemic threatened the industry, there are signs of resistance and adaptation that must prevent them from losing them forever, thanks to digital technology (Ithurbide & Singh, 2022). South India must inspire not only the rest of India. It also can inspire the rest of the world to see the richness behind the handicraft industry and what lessons teach other countries to learn.
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