It is unthinkable that you sojourn into Kerala and you don’t take back any souvenir! Your tour is incomplete unless you shop for the exclusive handicrafts of Kerala that exhibit the superb and sophisticated craftsmanship of Keralite artisians. The exquisite workmanship reflects the illustrious culture and tradition of God’s own country.
The handicrafts such as- wood carvings, horn carvings, ebony carvings, mat paintings, coconut shell work and so on are stunning pieces of work with inimitable style and accuracy of structure and elegance.
Interestingly, all such recherché creations are carved out of raw materials like horns, bamboo, ivory, wood and so on.
Horn is the basic raw material from which carvings are created. Horn Carving is one of the oldest crafts of Kerala. Craftsmen belonging to Viswakarma Community in Thiruvananthapuram are mainly adept in this art.
Things to shop for- Magnificent artifacts such as flower vases, figurines of birds and animals, toy furniture, minute replicas of snake boats and so on are carved of horns. You can also shop for the ornate combs and hair pins to adorn your locks. Objects of regular use such as pen stands, small boxes, buttons, trays, ashtrays, paper weights, lamps, cigarette cases carved out of animal horns are also available.
Process- The hard horns of animals especially buffaloes are whittled made soft by heating them and oiling them .The grains of the horns are blended with colors and molded into exquisite pieces of art. Sometimes the horns are pared and carved into different forms. The artistry is enhanced when horn carving is combined with dark wood.
Buffalo-horn carving is still practiced in Kerala in places like Trichur, Trivandrum, Kasargod, Ernaculam and Cochin. You can shop for horn carvings at these places.
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