D'source Design Gallery on Varakh - Jaipur - The art of silver or gold foils | D'source Digital Online Learning Environment for Design: Courses, Resources, Case Studies, Galleries, Videos

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Design Gallery

Varakh - Jaipur

The art of silver or gold foils

Prof. Bibhudutta Baral and Antony William

Machine to make silver or gold strips.
Big-head hammer, leather booklet, small bamboo stick and brush to clean the hammers are initial tools.
Pushti, the leather cover and the pages called as auzaars.
Takhti, white color flat piece of wood covered with mica to keep Varakh. Bamboo strip, cheep is used to hold the auzaars, iron cutter called as Phalua, helps in cutting the silver or gold strips, Makol, fine powder and small leather piece called as paibandi.
Stone to rub the surface or metal cladded with Varakh to give shine.
One piece is placed in every page at the corner.
Artisan beating the Pushti with hammer.
Varakh is cut into half.
All the four pieces are turned inside out to make a rectangle with fine edges.
Varakh is gently transferred on the butter paper and covered with another butter paper.
It is tied with cotton thread.
Tiles cladded with silver and aluminium Varakh.

Machine to make silver or gold strips.	Big-head hammer, leather booklet, small bamboo stick and brush to clean the hammers are initial tools.	Pushti, the leather cover and the pages called as auzaars.	Takhti, white color flat piece of wood covered with mica to keep Varakh. Bamboo strip, cheep is used to hold the auzaars, iron cutter called as Phalua, helps in cutting the silver or gold strips, Makol, fine powder and small leather piece called as paibandi.	Stone to rub the surface or metal cladded with Varakh to give shine.	One piece is placed in every page at the corner.
Artisan beating the Pushti with hammer.	Varakh is cut into half.	All the four pieces are turned inside out to make a rectangle with fine edges.	Varakh is gently transferred on the butter paper and covered with another butter paper.	It is tied with cotton thread.	Tiles cladded with silver and aluminium Varakh.

Varakh is an ancient craft where thin sheets of gold or silver are created and used for decorating sweets, fruits, paan, and even for cladding purposes. Primarily practiced by Muslim communities, artisans known as Pannigaars specialize in making fine gold and silver foils. The process begins by melting gold or silver biscuits into liquid form, which is then poured into molds to create thin rods. These rods are pressed into fine strips. Artisans cut the strips into small pieces and place them between pages of an Auzaar (a booklet), applying water and hammering to expand the foils. The process of placement and hammering is repeated until the desired size is achieved. The booklet is then opened, and the Varakh is carefully cut into rectangular shapes using a tool called Phalua. The edges are pressed to ensure smoothness, and any waste is used to fill gaps. After shaping, the Varakh is gently hammered flat and packaged, with 10 pieces bundled together and wrapped in butter paper, ready for use.

For more details:
http://dsource.in/resource/varakh-jaipur

Machine to make silver or gold strips.

Big-head hammer, leather booklet, small bamboo stick and brush to clean the hammers are initial tools.

Pushti, the leather cover and the pages called as auzaars.

Takhti, white color flat piece of wood covered with mica to keep Varakh. Bamboo strip, cheep is used to hold the auzaars, iron cutter called as Phalua, helps in cutting the silver or gold strips, Makol, fine powder and small leather piece called as paibandi.