The ancient Banaras metal repousse craft has been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by Chennai.
The ancient Banaras metal repousse craft has been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by Chennai.
With this, eastern UP has emerged as a hub of seven such GI products. Other famed products including Banarasi brocade and sarees, handmade carpets of Bhadohi, Banaras gulabi meenakari craft, Varanasi wooden lacquerware and toys, Mirzapuri handmade durries, and Nizamabad black clay pottery.
Anil Kumar Kasera, secretary of Banaras Metal Craft Development Society, explained that repousse is a technique in which a malleable metal is ornamented or shaped by hammering from the reverse side to form a raised design on the front. “We also call this technique khal-unbhar ka kam (chasing or embossing),” he said.
According to Mr Kumar, this is a form of art preserved by our ancestors, and can be seen at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Gurudwara of Taran Taran Sahib, Shani Shingnapur (Maharash-tra), Jagannath temple in Puri, and other places.
The metal repousse craft is popular in making traditional ornaments, doors and wall decoration, etc various types of gold and silver utensils.
One can also see the examples of this craft in Mahakumbh Mela in forms of rath, singhasan, hauda, chhatra, chawar, dand and various types of related products.
“This craft is older than the art of Banarasi sari. Its existence can be seen in forms of faces of Gods and Goddess, decorative items in temple since Vedic period,” he added.
