Shola Pith Topor - Kolkata
-
The thick outer skin of the shola wood is removed using a Kath (knife).
-
Artisan cutting the inner cortex of the plant for making a flower shape.
-
Artisan making a cone shape out of paper and trimming the edges.
-
Artisans apply adhesive over the shola strip.
-
The strip is pasted around the cone.
-
Colorful ribbon threads are pasted on the design.
-
The crown is decorated with different shapes and designs.
-
Patterns over the shapes are drawn using color markers.
-
The upper fragile area is designed and glued to a conical shape.
-
Asymmetrically perfect set of Topors on display.
-
A wide variety of design motifs, from paisley designs, flower motifs to geometric forms, are used in the craft, evident from the displayed finished piece.
-
Mr. Ramapada and Mrs. Ishan Neogi, artisans with their family members.
West Bengal, a northern state of India, houses a culturally rich capital city, Kolkata which was previously known as Calcutta. From the celebratory culture of the city, it is evident that the place is rooted in traditions and rituals valued by the people of Bengal. One such tradition is the wearing of Topor and Mukut by the bride and groom during a Bengali wedding. According to a folktale, the origin of Topor is connected to the Hindu god Shiva, who, for his wedding ceremony, demanded a special crown finished by artist Vishwakarma. Vishwakarma, skilled only in hard metalworks, handed over the task to young Malakar, who finished a headgear using shola.
Since then, the Topor is used extensively in Bengali weddings, and the cult of people who create shola pith Topar is called Malakars, meaning “makers of garlands”. Hence Topors made of shola still have significant importance, as they are believed to bring good luck. Mr. Ramapada Neogi and Mr. Koushik Neogi from Uluberia village of Howrah district from West Bengal have been making Topors and Mukut for decades, which are used during Bengali weddings.
For more details:
https://www.dsource.in/resource/shola-pith-topor-kolkata
