Pallavi Chinya
Joint Director (Media & Communication), PIB, Thiruvananthapuram
Silence is what envelopes you as you enter Mannar, a small town in Kerala. But as you take a stroll in the comforting natural surroundings of this town, breaking through the many layers of silence, the sound of clinking of metals, welding and grinding machines reaches your ears probably piquing your interest. And as you move towards the source of the sound you will be stupefied by the gleam and sheen of bell metal products in the many alas or forges that have existed here for centuries.
Mannar, a gram panchayat in Alappuzha district has the unique distinction of harbouring and nurturing a tradition and a craft which dates back to several centuries. Nearly 300 families in this town have carried on the tradition of bell metal products making in their alas. Bell metal is a harmonious blend of tin and copper. Typified by its sonorous quality when struck, bell metal provides a fine medium for the craftsmen to cast both religious artifacts especially magnificent lamps in various shapes and sizes as well as domestic utensils. Mannar has an assortment of traditional alas or forges as well as semi-modern factories which have come up in recent years engaged in the craft of bell metal products. The artisans of these alas produce an array of glistening bell metal products. These elegant artifices over the years have crossed the Arabian Sea to spread the fame of this small town and to capture a range of markets in different parts of the world.
One of the main tourist attractions in Kochi is the World’s biggest Varpu (traditional vessel usually used for preparing payasam or kheer), placed in an antique shop in Jew Town. But few people know that it was manufactured in Mannar over a period of one year during which 100 labourers toiled to bring it to perfection.
The 3250 kg Varpu with a diameter of 12 ft and a capacity of 10000 liters was created by the house of Rajan Alackal. Shri Rajan’s family has been in the business of bell metal products for five generations. Working with a team of 17 employees now his forge has supplied traditional bell metal products that include household utensils like Uruli (a wide mouthed vessel), Nilavilakku (a wick lamp), Kindi (a spouted pitcher) and idols of Hindu Gods, idols of Pope, Narayana Guru to temples, churches, museums across the country. Indira Gandhi Museum in New Delhi has showcased Al Vilakku (1001 lamps) created in his workshop.
Over the years the artisans in this small town have not only embraced the new technology in the making of these traditional products but have also forayed in to newer territories like Shri Ananth Krishna Achary who in his ala has specialized in the making of iron boxes. With Government’s support the family tradition of making bell metal products has acquired the status of a cottage industry. The inimitable stature that Mannar has acquired over the years has been etched for permanence in some extraordinary artifices. They include the world’s biggest temple lamp at Chettikulangara Devi temple; the world’s biggest temple bell at Mohan Nagar temple in Shimla; the world’s biggest church bell at the Cathedral Church in New Delhi, and the replica of the famous Tree of Life and Knowledge, now kept in a museum in Chennai. (PIB Feature.)
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/gleam-of-bell-metal-from-mannar/
