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Shell & Conch Shell |
 
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And the Lord Krishna below upon his great
conch shell ‘Panchajanya’ and the great enemy army trembled where they stood
– so says the Mahabharata. No less sonorous and memorable is the Conch Shell craft of
West Bengal, and one of the most ancient.
| Sholapith |
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Nature has always been one
better on man. Compare "Sholapith" the core of a plant (Aeschyromene Aspere)
that grows wild in wet marshlands of Bengal and Assam, Orissa and Deccan and the
artificial "thermocole" produced in a laboratory. In fact, in malleability, in
texture, in its luster and sponginess, in its ability to turn into "light as
air" beautiful ornamentation – thermocole just does not come close to
"Sholapith". "Sholapith" work is every uniquely of Bengal.
Silver Filigree |
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The world may not know it,
but filgree and filigrain work in gold and silver thread is part of Bengal’s crafts
heritage.
Soft Dolls |
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Rag Dolls are not
traditional to Bengal. But from the common soft dolls given to infants and very small
children to the more sophisticated, costumed, bejewelled dolls – the range is truly
fascinating.
Stone Carving |
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From the depths of the
earth in many parts of Bengal, archaeologists have discovered a veritable treasure house
of stone carving, images and temple carvings, dating back to the glorious days of the Pala
dynasty.
Though stone is no longer widely available, the
hereditary talents of Bengal stone carvers continue to live and prosper.
Terracotta |
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The earth turns and bears
life, so does the potter’s wheel. Creating forms of plastic consciousness from
ordinary clay to which multitudes have reacted, spontaneously, for aeons of time.
"Nowhere in the world, the part played by traditional folk pottery is greater than in
India," quotes a publication of the Geneva Museum of Ethonology. And how true it
holds for the superb specimen by the master potters and clay craftsmen of Bengal.
Wood Carving |
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Wood is probably the most
primitive material that was fashioned by man to suit his needs. Among those who turned
wood carving into an art were the Kasthakaras or the ancient Sutradharas, traditional
craftsmen who worked with wood, stone, earth and colour.
Among the outstanding wood carvings of
Bengal are the one-piece owl and deities of Natungram in Budwan andsandalwood carvings of
Murshidabad.
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