ART & CRAFT - METAL CRAFT
One of the most interesting crafts of Himachal Pradesh is the art of metal craft Chamba was foremost centre of metal casting the temples of Bharmour and Chamba are embellished with life. Size bronze sculptures possessing high quality workmanship. The tradition of bronze casting was introduced by the Kashmiri artisans, hence, apparent. Kashmiri influence on these Chamba bronzes is cleanly discernible. Lakshmi Devi, Ganesh and Narsimha bronzes in Bharmour and Harirai and Gauri Shankar at Chamba are the marvels of the Bronze Sculptures.
The method of casting of images in Chamba is Cire Perdu, the lost wax process. The image is first made in wax and then a thin coating of clay is given to the wax model, keeping a hole for pouring the metal in. After burning the clay-covered mould, the melted metal is poured in the hollow of the mould and hence image assumes from. After the image has been taken out of the mould, and then image is chiseled and finer details are carried out. Sometimes eyes are inlaid in silver.
Some craftsperson still, are practicing the art of metal craft in Chamba. Sarna was such an accomplished artisan who made several images in Chamba. The tradition is further revived by Prakash Chand, Hakam singh, and Ramesh Chand who are renowned sculptors. Parkash Chand and Hakam Singh are the recipient of the prestigious National award for their excellence in the craft.
WOOD CARVING
The tradition of woodcarving goes back to 7th – 8th century AD. The temples of Lakshna Devi in Bharmour and ShaktiDevi in Chattrari are embellished with highly intricate woodwork done in a classical manner of the post Gupta period. Deodar wood is chiefly employed for wooden architecture of the temples as well as local houses. Later wooden temples of seventeenth century are also decorated with figurative kind of work, displaying the strong influences of the Chamba school of painting. Some devil masks are also preserved in Chamba museum which were used in dance in temple complex of Chattrari.
The Chamunda temple of Devi Kothi (Churah) Shakti Devi temple Ganda dehra and Chamunda Devi temple of Chamba town are famous for their exquisite wooden relieves depicting the themes of Hindu mythology and folklore. The remains of the State Kothi Bharmour are now preserved in the Bhuri Singh Museum, Chamba .
Mohd. latif is such one craftsman who has received National award for the making of the replica of a door of Bharmour Kothi. Latif hails from the family of traditional carpenters and his father Miran bux was also a good craftsman.
EMBROIDERY CHAMBA RUMAL
The Chamba rumal conjures up an image of a finely embroidered miniature painting. The tradition of Chamba rumal has been practiced in Chamba & neighboring states. In the mid eighteenth century when the art of painting was at its zenith, the women started embroider the figurative motifs. With the course of time this craft was developed in Chamba and flourished in the adjoining areas. These rumals are done on a squarish pieces of fine muslin cloth with vivid silk threads. Firstly, the painter used to device a design on a course loin cloth with black lines and then women used to do embroidery work according to his instructions. The stitch employed in the embroidery is called "Do-rukha" means Double satin stitch which comes out exactly identical on the both sides.
Ladies of the noble families in Chamba used to embroider the rumal during their pastime. They also used to give the embroidered pieces to their daughters as an important item of the dowry. Some times these rumals were also gifted to the deities in the temple.
Rasamandal was the famous subject of the Rumal however, hunting, Nayika Bhed, Shiva family and Mahabharata were other popular themes.
The tradition of Chamba Rumal is still alive in Chamba and a number of young girls are engaged in producing beautiful Rumals. Kamla Nayyar is such an accomplished embroider who has contributed a great role in the revival of the tradition of the Chamba Rumal. Masto Devi, Poonam and Lata are other gifted girls who are devoting their time for preserving this rich heritage.
PAINTING OF CHAMBA
The activity of painting in Chamba continued in to the nineteenth century and Sikh influence in the colours, facial features and dresses of the figure can be seen in the paintings executed in the last quarter of 18th century. The tradition of painting in Chamba was dying gradually however, the real blow to use this art activity came with the advent of photography and oil painting techniques. The availability of the cheep aniline colours in the market of, Punjab, Changed the character of traditional painting and brought about the end of the great of the tradition. A portrait of young Raja Sham Singh, now in the Bhuri Singh Museum, Chamba depicts the change in the style prevalent in Chamba by the end of nineteen century. The painters however, continued to execute painting in some particular forms, which were required for various religious and social rituals.
Bangdwari is such a traditional painting work, which is done on the either sides of a door during wedding ceremony in Chamba. Several figures of Hindu Gods and Goddess together with Ganesh at top are still painted in this ritual painting. Sohnu and Jawahar were such local painters who were actively painting through in a fine manner, in Chamba by beginning of present century. Their works are also preserved in the BSM Chamba. Hira Lal and Prem Lal were also traditional painters in Chamba who kept the art of painting alive in Chamba until third quarter of the present century. The sons of Prem Lal, the painter, Ami Chand ,Hans Raj and Prakash chand are also painters and are still practicing their ancestral profession in Chamba town. Vijay Sharma is another young man who paints in different styles of Pahari painting and has received the National award in 1990
CHAMBA HAS MORE JEWELS IN ITS CROWN:
BASKET MAKING : Basket manufacturing is intimately connected with daily life of all Pahari people. It is one of the most widely practiced craft in Chamba also. Various functional objects like sturdy bowls, trays and baskets of different shapes and sizes with graceful handles are being manufactured here.The village women irrespective of caste are also adept in this craft. The basket weavers adopt the usual method of coiling, plaining, intertwining and interlacing.
POTTERY OR EARTHENWARE :
Pottery or Earthenware : Pottery is a poor man's art for livelihood. Pots of different kinds and sizes are made out of clay to meet the storage needs of the people. The clay is abundantly available in Chamba as elsewhere in the state. This occupation is traditionally with the people of Kumhar caste. Because of their creative skill, they are also regarded as Prajapati. The origin of this art/ craft can be traced back to Neolithic period when the man first felt the necessity to store water and grains etc.Some of these pots bear different kinds of paintings, motifs, decorations and floral designs.
WEAVING :
Weaving in Chamba like in other hilly districts is one of the most important craft which evolved in to an extremely fascinating craft as family units and professional weavers handed down these techniques over the centuries. This occupation was traditionally with the people belonging to Scheduled Castes. The profession has now been picked up by almost all castes.Chamba woven by the court weaver in the year 1750 during the reign of Umed Singh. Shawls, blankets , thobis, pattus, pattis, loia etc. are the products of weaving which are traded after meeting the family needs.
JEWELLERY :
In Chamba little historical evidences are available to attest to the antiquity of this craft of pahari jewellery. The only available evidence to the ornamentation are the metal, wood and stone sculptures dating back to 7th centaury A.D. onwards Bharmour and Chattrari where female figurines in Pahari miniature paintings are depicted with elaborate ornamentation like necklace with circular beads, dodmala, karanphul, jhumkha, champakali and chandrahar commonly worn by Pahari women. A special feature of the Gaddi jewellery is the champakali haar and the Sabi necklace with a pendant affixing a miniature painting of Shiva and Parvati.
LEATHER WORKS :CHAMBA CHAPPAL
Chamba is famous for hand-made chappals. This trade is concentrated in the hands of cobbler families. It is said that once upon a time Chamba had no tradition of leather shoes and they wore crude grass shoes. Things changed when a princess of Kangra was married in royal family of Chamba. The princess brought a cobbler family to Chamba as a part of dowry and with this came the culture of leather shoes.
The craftsman of this trade use lather of sheep, goat and calf skin for the purpose. The striking feature of Chamba chappal is the embroidery done on them. The embroidery is done with silk and golden threads called russi - tilla. The motifs usually are of lantana flower and leaves. A unique pair of leather shoes with zari belonging to royal family of Chamba is preserved in Bhuri Singh Museum. leather embroidered belts are also commonly worn by the local people.
RAJA BHURI SINGH MUSEUM:
The museum, named after Raja Bhuri Singh, was formally inaugurated on the 14th of September in the year 1908. Bhuri Singh himself gave his family collection of paintings to the museum. Apart from the paintings, other items on display are the the embroidered Chamba rumaals, coins, hill jewellery and costumes- both traditional and royal, arms and armour, musical instruments and various decorative objects. The museum is opened from 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening all through the week except Mondays and
gazeted holidays.
