Handicrafts of Bengal
There is a rustic and mystic charm to Bengali art and crafts, ranging from embroidery to sculpture and sketches to metal crafts. Connoisseurs of art from around the world are attracted to the sculpture and metal crafts characteristic of the handicrafts of Bengal. The uniqueness of Bengal’s handicrafts lies in the fact that they are both intricate and functional. Kantha, for instance, is an old form of embroidery used to decorate robes from Bengal’s royal era. Saris, Dhotis, and Kurtas are still adorned with it today.
Terracotta Craft
A rural and pastoral presence characterizes the Terracotta Craft of Bengal. This clay- modeled item became a craze more than 500 years ago due to its natural colors. It is still displayed in local and foreign homes as a decorative item. It is believed that the West Bengal region of Bankura produces auspicious Terracotta horses and Bonga Elephants. Bengali festivals are celebrated with them, and you can find them in every Bengali household.
Dokra
Among the most popular forms of art practiced in Bengal is Dokra Metal Craft. Using clay, wax, and molten metal, this art is used to create statues, idols, jewellery, and other pieces. Its unique feature is that it is completely original, and no complete replica is available.
The material can be used to make many types of ornaments and ornamental items and gods and goddesses’ idols. In Dokra art, metal casting is conducted using an ancient method known as ‘cire perdue’. This is regarded as the oldest form of metal casting. Located in the Bankura district, the village of Bikna is home to this magnificent art form.
Conch Shell Craft
These are shells that are obtained from the ocean, and artisans engrave their surfaces with ornamental designs. Artistic Conch Shell Craft involves engraving images on shells found in the ocean obtained from the sea bed.
Carving the shells is an art form unique to each artist. Others create whole episodes from the Mahabharata on the shells, such as the image of Shiva. Conch shells have also been engraved with tales of Lord Krishna as popular themes. Creating a conch shell takes two to three months at the very least.
As a symbol of their marital status, Bengali women wear conch shell bangles today. Besides engraved shells, conch shells are used to make table lamps, incense holders, vermilion-colored ashtrays, spoons, and forks.
Scroll paintings
From east India, particularly West Bengal, comes scroll paintings, a rare form of art dating back centuries. These paintings intertwine single images with vertical scrolls, known as patachitras, through which the oral and written epics are narrated.
Sholapith
Decorative pieces are crafted from shola, a type of reed with white, cream-colored wood that is soft and milky. As of today, the bride and groom still wear shola headgear at Hindu-Bengali weddings. The groom wears a conical shola crown called a ‘topor,’ while the bride wears an ornamental crown called a ‘mukut.’
As a soft and lightweight material, shola is commonly used to make attire, ornaments, and other decorations for idols. Additionally, it is used in sacred rituals by many indigenous Bengali communities.
‘Manasar chali’ is the serpent cluster used in a Bengali ritual representing Manasa, the snake goddess. We use shola to make the shola in the ‘manasar chali’. Shola handicrafts are often mistaken for ivory due to their whiteness and excellent craftsmanship.
References:-
