Hyderabad pearls, Rajasthan gem stones, Taiwan coral chains, antique finish bangles from Mumbai made of an alloy of copper and gold, panchaloka bangles, gold-plated jewellery and stone-studded one-gram gold bangles from Coimbatore, soapstone sculptures from Mudaiyur near Polur in Tiruvannamalai district, sandal stones from Salem, gem stone painting and jewel boxes from Jaipur, Thombai (appliqué work used in temple cars) from Madurai, Thanjavur paintings, panchaloka idols made in the Swamimalai unit of Poompuhar (Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation) and the famous rosewood inlay works from Mysore are among the variety of handicraft items on display at the All Crafts Exhibition organised by Poompuhar at the Tungabadra Hall in Hotel Khanna here.
C. Rajendran, Vellore Collector, inaugurated the exhibition on Monday.
Another famous speciality of Tamil Nadu artisans—the brass hanging lamps made at Nachiarkoil production unit of Poompuhar were also on display, and were available for Rs.2,203 at the exhibition.
The price of panchaloka idols from Swamimalai ranged from Rs.220 to Rs.67,100. Aluminium copper-oxidised hollow casting idols from Hyderabad were available at a price range of Rs.300 to Rs.2,000. The famous Thanjavur art plates were also sold at the exhibition.
Among the handicraft products from other states, the rosewood inlay works from Mysore were available for Rs.2,000, while the Rajasthan white wooden artefacts were priced between Rs.300 and Rs.1,440. The cut glass works with lacquer surface from Jaipur were sold for Rs.191. Sheet-metal-covered wooden mantaps made in Jodhpur in Rajasthan were available at prices ranging from Rs.1,047 to Rs.2,714.
The artistic skill and the attitude of artisans in not wasting costly raw materials used in the manufacture of artefacts were combined in the making of marble dust idols from Jaipur. These idols were made from the marble dust that is wasted while cutting marble for other works.
Another attraction at the exhibition was the appliqué works (known popularly as Bhanjara art) from Kalahasthi in Andhra Pradesh, which included appliqué bags costing Rs.280.
Marudhu Pandian, Manager, Poompuhar showroom, Panchayat Illam, Officers' Line, Vellore said that the Poompuhar showroom in Vellore achieved an all time high turnover of Rs.25 crore in 2008-09.
The exhibition in Tungabadra Hall would be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. till June 30 (including Sundays). A special discount of 10% would be offered on all items.
