Handicrafts of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has a rich heritage in handicrafts, which has evolved over centuries. They have been exuding grace and beauty since ages, and decorating millions of homes across the globe. Tanjore paintings, the craft of making musical instruments, metal ware, pottery, woodcraft and stone carving are some of the exquisite handicrafts of Tamil Nadu.
The most important of the handicrafts of Tamil Nadu is the very famous Tanjore paintings. This form of art flourished in Thanjavur, which is the new name of Tanjore, and thus it got its name. They creation of this art requires dedication, patience and hours of meticulous details. These paintings are done on wood, glass, mica, ivory and even on the walls, and are made more elegant by using thin sheets of gold, along with the primary colours. The modeling effect is made stylized by shading the inside, along the outline of the painting.
Jewels, drapery, and elements of architecture like pillars, rich canopies, chandeliers are being raised as a result of using of a special plaster. This plaster is covered with pure gold leaf and semi-precious stones of different colours are embedded in it.
Tamil Nadu is also famous for its musical instruments. Yaazh is an ancient instrument famous in ancient Tamil Nadu, which resembles a harp. This instrument has been replaced by veena, which is made of jackwood. In Thanjavur, there are families that are into this craft for generations. Other musical instruments made here are thambura, flute or vangiyam, which is made of bamboo, sandalwood, bronze and sengaali and karungaali woods. It is a wonderful specimen of the handicrafts of Tamil Nadu.
Jewelery making is also another important handicraft here. Stone jewelery are most popular and the ornaments such as oddiyanam, vanki and jimiki are very famous and worn even now, despite their traditional appeal. They display great finish and dexterity. Metal wares have got its own importance in the handicrafts of Tamil Nadu. Brass and copper metal wares are used for many purposes. It is used mostly for making plates with carvings of god and goddess in it. Plates used for arathi, bells used while performing arathi, etc. are some of the examples of the state's creativity in the metal wares.
Pottery making is a well known art in Tamil Nadu. We can see even now famous 'Ayyanar horses' in rural Tamil Nadu, which are supposed to protect the villages from evil. Terracotta horses, made in Pudukottai and Salem are also very famous. Stone carving was very famous in Tamil Nadu in the ancient days, and it is still practiced in the twenty-first century. Stone carving is a wonderful craft. Those days stone carving was done in temples, for gods. One can find beautiful stone carvings in famous temples like Madurai Meenakshi temple, thousand pillared mandapas, Ekambareshwarar temple in Kanchipuram, etc.
 Different types of stones are used for carving like marble stones, sandstones, soap stones, etc. Granite carving is very famous in Chingleput and Mamallapuram. Now stones are also used for making pen stands, paper weights, granite tiles for houses, etc.

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