Bidri craft

Bidar is a beautiful place in the north of Karnataka, India, famous for it's historical monuments and offcourse Bidriware. Bidar craft or Bidriware originated from Bidar place, which is still the most flourishing place for this art.

 

Bidri craft use casting through making a black metal alloy of copper and zinc. A thin sheet of silver is then used to do engrave intricate designs on the black metal surface. Black metal is first etched with the beautiful but complex design, then silver layer is engraved by pressing it on the etched designs.

Blackening and polishing of the design is the next step. Delicate white silvery design on the black metal surface gives the Birdiware  it's famous contrast of enticing beauty.

Chisel of different shapes is used sometimes by a single craftsmen or sometimes a group of talented engraving Bidri artists in a complex piece of work.

From beautiful flower and leaf patterns to stars, plants and other symmetrical geometrical designs, Bidriware is famous for its detailed art work. Idols of God and Goddesses like Buddha and Lakshmi are the most sought after designs.

The whole process of making a Bidri design is intricate, time consuming and requires a lot of passion and concentration. At the end, what matters is that splendid artwork in the hand with those contrasting silver on black metal which can make the art come alive. Breathtaking...