Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Handmade tiles of Athangudi
Athangudi tiles are the traditional handmade tiles manufactured in Athangudi, a small village in Chettinad region (Sivagangai district), Tamil Nadu for about 160 years. The Chettiars who were traders and land lords imported tiles from the European countries found it difficult to replace them due to the wear and tear of aging. It was expensive to get the spare tiles because of its unavailability. This lead to the setting up of cottages in Athangudi to manufacture the replicas if those tiles which in turn resulted in the creation of tiles that had more vibrant colours and ethnic patterns that gained its own signature resulting in making Athangudi the traditional hub for the production of handmade tiles in Tamil Nadu. Today there are about 500 designs that can be created sing moulds and around 200 designs that could be made in hand. The standard sizes of the tiles 8”X 8”, 10”X 10”, 8” X4” and 8”X 6”. Bigger sizes are also being manufactured if orders are placed.
Athangudi tiles made of synthetic oxides, sand, cement and baby jelly, are prepared through a fascinating process with just bare hands, a clean glass, a metal frame and with or without the mould. Today, a machine that mixes the synthetic oxide with the sand and cement is being which was also once done manually.
The mixture of cement and (coloured) synthetic oxides in a slurry state is poured into different compartments of the moulds which is placed inside the metal frame on the glass. The mould is then removed and the sand is spread over it to fix the colour after which it is concreted with the cement for about an inch. The metal frame is the removed. They are then kept aside in the shade for a day which is then placed in water tank for the curing process. After three days it is kept in the shade to dry and the glasses are removed. Once the tile is completely dry it is ready for the delivery.
The tile needs no machine polishing as it being glazed on by glass. The more you walk on these tiles, the smoother they become. They gain more shine as they age.
These tiles are eco-friendly too as they do not reflect, radiate or conduct heat and have minimal wear and tear. It is believed that the local sand is the secret behind the tiles’ texture. The finish, quality, durability shows the rich craftsmanship. The traditional patterns in vibrant colours are still being created and hence it is among those few choice available even today to create an ethnic ambience.
How to get there: Distance between Chennai to Karaikudi is about 418kms by road. From Karaikudi, there are buses to Athangudi which is about 16kms away from it.
Contact details:
Mr. Natarajan (Sri Ganapathy tiles)
Ponnalazhi Nagar, Karaikudi main road,
Athngudi,Sivagangai-630101
Phone: 04565-281353
Cell: 94874 55929, 94434 66391,97913 74846
Email: sriganapathytiles@gmail.com
Documented by Swathi K
Athangudi tiles made of synthetic oxides, sand, cement and baby jelly, are prepared through a fascinating process with just bare hands, a clean glass, a metal frame and with or without the mould. Today, a machine that mixes the synthetic oxide with the sand and cement is being which was also once done manually.
The tile needs no machine polishing as it being glazed on by glass. The more you walk on these tiles, the smoother they become. They gain more shine as they age.
Contact details:
Mr. Natarajan (Sri Ganapathy tiles)
Ponnalazhi Nagar, Karaikudi main road,
Athngudi,Sivagangai-630101
Phone: 04565-281353
Cell: 94874 55929, 94434 66391,97913 74846
Email: sriganapathytiles@gmail.com
Documented by Swathi K
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