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.

So, next time you go to Karnataka, make it certain that you go down the muddy ways to the handicraft villages and see for yourself how the craftsmen are creating the masterpieces of metal ware.