Bidriware in India
Bidriware is an ancient art of India that dates back to 14th century – an era of affluent Bahmani and Baridi dynasties in Bidar, Karnataka. And it continues to flourish even today. With time the expertise has spread to other regions in India like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal but the heart of the art still lies in the same historic town. Artisans living in Bidar region have treasured this rare craftsmanship for centuries. You can find the streets of Bidar bustling with incredibly beautiful handicraft of Bidriware – a symbol of prosperity and artistic taste. Origin of Bidriware There are many stories about the origin of Bidriware. Some would attribute it to Abdullah-bin-Khaiser, a Persian artisan who migrated to Bidar (India) on the request of then Bahmani Sultan (ruler). Sultan wanted Abdullah-bin-Khaiser to paint and decorate the royal palaces. The story has is that Abdullah-bin-Khaiser teamed up with locals to devise and popularize the art of Bidriware. Being fine art connoisseur, Sultan and his successors patronized Bidriware. The rewards were attractive for locals to pursue the art as a profession. Some other accounts give the credit to a Hindu ruler of Bidar. It’s said that the King was a great The roots of the Bidriware go back to Persia and Arabia where the art of inlaying gold and silver in the articles of copper and steel was very popular. After reaching in India the craft took a whole new form. It involves encrusting one metal as a wire into another metal creating breathtaking decorative pieces. Since the art took its current form in Bidar, it’s called as Bidriware. Process of Making Bidriware What distinguishes Bidriware from other arts is the carefully selected alloy of zinc and copper in the proportion of 16:1. Artisans did not pick a metal randomly. Instead, it appears that, a lot of research and experimentation has gone into choosing the metal combination that can not only withstand the test of the time but also accentuates the intricate designs. This unique zinc and copper alloy article can adorn your house for many years without showing any signs of rust or corrosion. The process of making Bidriware is long, intricate, and enduring. The first step involves casting which is done in moulds of special soil of Bidar. The red soil is made malleable by mixing caster oil and resin. Once the mould is ready, the molten alloy is poured into the mold. And then the article is smoothened with files and scrapes. Next step involves a black coating and designing. The design is etched free hand first and later sharp and small chisels are used to carve out the design. It requires ultimate control over carving to fuel life into the designs. The designs range from flowers, creepers, geometric patterns, to human figures. Once the design is carved out fine wires or sheets of silver are gently hammered into the chiseled design pattern. Other steps like filing and polishing follow to give a silky smooth look to the object. The final step involves permanent black coating on the entire surface of the object. Again, the black coating is no ordinary. It’s made by mixing soil, oil, and carefully chosen chemicals like ammonium chloride. It is this black coating that makes the silver patterns shimmer superbly through the dark background. The object is rinsed, polished with oil to deepen the black matt coating. This adds brilliance to the inlaid silver pattern and there you have it! A Bidriware article! Where to buy Bidriware What started in Bidar has spread into many other cities in India. Lucknow in Uttra Pradesh, Purnia in Bihar, and Murshidabad in West Bengal are other popular hubs of Bidri work. When you walk into the local marketplaces of these cities, you will find a variety of Bidriware for sale. These markers offer you an opportunity to buy Bidri work directly from the local artisans. You can even have a glimpse of the whole Bidri making process in these places. If you cannot drive into these cities, don’t worry there are many online or local outlets to buy it from. For example, in Delhi and Bangalore you can buy Bidriware at Cottage Emporium. This is an excellent place to buy Indian handicraft. In stores such as this, you can explore many more tranditional Indian items. Cottage Emporium claims to offer art from award winning artisans all across India so you can buy a wide variety of decorative items here. You can find many online sellers of Bidriware on TolMol, read reviews, and compare Bidriware prices before buying. Common Bidriware Today, you can buy a vast variety of items with Bidri designs on it but the most popular ones include flower vases, trays, plates, cups, saucers, mitiature paintings, idols, decorative items, and jewelry boxes. They are available in varied sizes, shapes, and designs. More intricate the design is, costlier it is. You can buy from an array of choices depending upon your taste and budget.
When you are buying Bidriware, it’s important you buy it from a trusted place as you don’t want your Bidriware to start rusting. It must be of great quality so buy carefully. Also be sure of what you are buying. For example, there are other variations of this art where copper or steel wires are used in place of silver. They are equally beautiful however you should not pay the silver price for copper so make sure you know what you are paying for. Maintaining Bidri Items You may buy very expensive Bidriware but if you don't maintain it well enough, it's likely to lose its sheen over time. To make your Bidri items immortal, you need to take proper care of them. For example, you should keep them protected from soap or salt. These elements can easily spoil the black coating so you never want to bring your Bidri item in contact with them. You can apply vegetable oil on the entire surface or even a silver polish is permitted but don't experiment with anything else.
Bidriware as Gifts You can not only decorate your own house or office with Bidriware but it's alsoan excellent gift for Navratras, Dugra Puja, and Diwali.Not just that, Bidriware utensils are common wedding gift items in southern India. It's a rare traditional heritage that's also popularaly exchanged as corporate gift. Among corporate gifts, the popular items include pen holders, card holders, and flower vases. A gift cannot get more beautiful than this.
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