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Indian toys and dolls of vibrant colors and shapes transport the child to the world of unbound imagination. They bring to life a fascinating world of fantasy, engrossing a childhood full of dreams. Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh is known for beautiful wooden toys. Most toys have birds, animals, and airplanes painted on them. Cloth, papier, mache and terra cotta are used to make toys and dolls. |
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The history reveals that series of toys and dolls have vigorous impact on the lives of people of ancient as well as modern India. The colorful Indian dances whether it is Kathakali or Bhangra.. Are well depicted through dolls. The list of toys characteristic of rural India is endless. Whistles, toy trains, catapults, swings are more natural and lose to real life. They teaches child about the nature from an early age.
The craft of toy making is unique and no one can challenge India. Children from Indus valley civilization very extensively use Clay toys. From early times, various materials have been used to make toys and dolls. The craftsmen of Mohenjadaro and Harappa had shown perfect models of human and animal figures. Toys and dolls in India not only cater to the dreams of a child but they are also associated with religious rituals and festivals. |
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Each region is known for its typical dolls and toys. Assam and West Bengal fashion toys out of pith. In the eastern terracotta belt, the theme of "mother and child" models, are popular. Varanasi, Lucknow, Mathura and Vrindavan are reputed for their brightly painted wooden dolls and toys, Tirupati for its dampati (man-woman) dolls. Rajasthan makes dolls of unbaked clay. In Madhubani, dolls are made of sikki, a grass. Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh makes some of the traditional dolls and toys out of a mixture of cowdung, sawdust and clay and covers them with lustrous pigments.
Copper and bronze were the earliest non-ferrous metals which man shaped into tools. References to the casting of bronze images were found in ancient texts like the Matsya Puarana. China has the oldest continuous civilization in the world. Bronze working was perfected during 1700-1122 B.C. and kaolin (pure white clay) was discovered by Chinese potters. Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh in the north India, and Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in south India, are known for their bronze and copper items. In solid casting of icons, the mould is made by giving several clay coatings on prepared wax models, but with a different clay each time. These convey the contours of the model to the cast-image and are therefore important. The molten alloy is then poured in a thin and even stream into the mould made red-hot. When the mould is broken, care is taken to see that the head of the icon is brought out first, as a good omen.
Papier Mache is a comparatively new craft in India, which has caught on very well in many parts of the country, since the raw material is easily available and inexpensive. The craft of making objects from papier-mache is an ancient one. To make papier mache dolls, paper is soaked in water till it disintegrates. It is then pounded, mixed with an adhesive solution, shaped over moulds, and allowed to dry and set before being painted and varnished. Paper that has been pounded to pulp has the smoothest finish in the final product. When the pounding has not been so thorough, the finish is less smooth. The design painted on objects of papier-mache are brightly colored. Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh makes papier mache toys. Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Chennai are also famous for their papier mache crafts.
The art of stone carving in Orissa dates back to the Kalinga (previous name of Orissa) period. Stone carving is carried out on sandstone, Nilgiri stone, soft stone (Kochilla) and serpentine stone. Popular themes include the images of Hindu gods and goddesses, and dancers. Makrana in Rajastan produces fabulous marble dolls and figurines. West Bengal is famous for stuffed toys made out of jute. Bengal is also known for terracotta toys. Banaras in Uttar Pradesh is known for lacquered toys and miniature utensils for children to play with.
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Dolls made from wood are also very popular all over India. In Sikkim traditional designs are carved and painted to give the object a rich and dynamic look. Orissa offers large variety of wooden dolls blended in folk and classical forms. On the other hand terracotta is the most ancient form of expression of clay art. The people have never forgot even the cloth dolls from Egypt. They are even very simple to make and most of the women have transformed their interest into means of earning livelihood. Apart from the dolls there are several toys with which mostly every Indian child would like to play. dugg duggi, horses, elephants with old zari, The wooden cart, lakdi ki kathi etc are some of the finest examples of such.
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