Handmade in India

TERRACOTTA
Madike Beedu village located near the River Laxman in
Kodagu has a large community of potters. Pottery has been
practiced here for centuries and has a good local market.
Men throw pots on the weel while women beat the clay into
shape. The prepared clay is shaped into a cup and beaten
into a curved shape. The base and rim are attached and
shaped. Once the pots are fired, they are soaked in water
mixed with mud to add natural colour. Sometimes the
potters practice reduction firing to give the pots an uneven
black colour. They also make small handmade terracotta
toys. Another major occupation in this region is the making
of bricks which are sold in the nearby towns.
Production Clusters
Kodagu district:
Mayamudi:
Madike Beedu
Products
Pots
Toys
Piggy banks
Cups
Horse figures
1. Craftsperson demonstrating on a fired pot. The
cylindrical form is made with coilig and later beaten
into shape using a wooden mallet outside and a stone
for support inside.
2. Pots are left to cool after firing before the application
of clay slip.
3. Fired pots for local use.
4. The black colour of the coin is due to reduction firing.
Diluted clay slip is applied after firing, on the
container.
Tools
Hallige - mallet
Kallu - supporting
stone
Potter`s wheel
Beater
TIBETAN CARPETS
Woollen carpets have been in Tibetan settlements
and colonies, since early sixtees when Tibetan
refugees from the northern parts of India were
settled in Bylakuppe in Mysore district. Agriculture
and handicrafts being important activities that gave
economic sustenance, carpet weaving centres were
setup in Tibetan settlements around Mysore, near
Medikeri and in Munddog near Hubli. The
technique used is distinguished by a continuous
system of knots, referred to as the Tibetan knot. A
rod is placed along the width and in front of the
warp.
Yarn is looped with a knitting needle around two warps and once around
the rod. When a row of loops is finished, the loops are cut and hand
brushed to form the pile, giving a plush and ridged surface to the carpet.
The carpets have motifs of the dragon, checkerboard designs, tiger , lotus,
Tibetan eight auspicious symbols andreligious motifs anf colours of the
Buddhist iconography. Carpets are made for Namdroling Monastery in
Kushalnagar. A large part of the production caters to the export and the
tourist market.
1. Vertical loom
Products
2. Tools and thread placed on a Tibetan
carpet with dragon motifs.
Floor carpets
3. Detail of the looped knot being made over Table covers
a metal rod.
Chair covers
Production Clusters
Mysore district:
Bylakuppe
Hunsur
Kidagu district:
Kushalnagar
Dharwad district:
Mundgod
Tools
Metal rod
Wooden sticks
Knitting needls
Scissors
Vertical loom