Playing the perfect host is an integral part of the Indian culture and tradition. As such, Indian people go to great lengths to make their guests feel welcome There are basically two reasons behind the garlanding tradition of India. Firstly, it showcases one's happiness at receiving the particular guest and secondly, it is a form of publicly acknowledging the guest's importance. The fact that apart from guests, it's only the various gods and goddesses, who are garlanded, shows the significance attached to this garlanding tradition in India. In the olden days, people welcome their guests with flower garland as flowers were soft and they had a pleasant smell. People were into making flower garland as it was sold on a daily base until today the garland makers are mostly found outside the temples as people bought them to garland the Gods every time they visited. About thirty years back slowly the flower garlands were going out of trend as people started to realize that flowers from the garland were slowly falling petal by petal and also they got dried over night and people couldn’t wear it or keep it over a day. Another major problem was transportation. Garlanding statues were also a problem as they had to keep changing it every day. 


 Lace garlands came into the trend as it was easy to transport it from place to place and it became a status symbol for them to welcome their guests with these lace garlands. To make it look more appealing small rolls of sandalwood was made into a chain and placed as rows in between the garland.
The sandalwood garlands are expensive compared to the other garlands. This tradition was carried out for about 30 years. The makers were situated in Tanjore and they slowly emerged towards the main cities and started practicing the making of sandalwood garlands. This craft, in the beginning, evolved in Karnataka as the state had rich growth of sandalwood trees. Sandalwood grows mainly in India in the state of Karnataka. The state accounts for about 70 percent of the production, the rest mainly coming from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The tree grows naturally, in fertile, tropical forestlands with abundant rainfall. It is also cultivated. The tree is a root parasite. Soon after germination, the seedling finds a host and derives nourishment from it. It grows about 10 meters high, has a girth of one-and-a-half- meters and lives for over a 100 years. Today the sandalwood rolls are still bought from Tanjore as they are the major supply hub in terms of quality and quantity.


 In Chennai, the making of this craft is majorly found in the areas like Chindadripet, Mylapore and Parrys. The dealers are mostly found in Parrys. Chintadripet was originally called as  Chinna Thari Pettai which is a locality in Chennai, in India. Located on the southern banks of the Cooum River, it is a residential-cum-commercial area surrounded by Chepauk, Island Grounds, Pudupet, Egmore and Anna Salai.Ritchie Street, the electronic hub of Chennai, is located in Chintadripet. One more thing that the area is famous for and to not forget will be the fish market that is situated right in the middle. This serves as a perfect landmark to any location in that area.


In about 400 meters from the market at Arunachalam street “Annamalai Lace Garland” shop is situated and they are the 1st and the traditional makers of the Sandalwood Lace garlands in Chennai. They source their raw materials from Tanjore including the sandalwood, laces, and zari.­ It takes about 3 hours for them to make a lace garland. In a day they make about 50 garlands of different verities. They also customize according to peoples color and design choice. Annamalai lace garland is currently run by Mr.Muthu Kumar the son of Mr.Venugopal. This business has been carried out over traditions, The shop is named after his grandfather Mr.Annamalai  who initially was making flower garlands in the same lane outside a temple and slowly moved on to making artificial and lace garlands. Mr.Muthu lives down the lane along with his family and is a passionate devotee of lord Shiva.  

Contact:
To know more and to experience the making of this craft live visit  No.89 Arunachalam street, Chindadripet, Chennai-600002. Ph- 9566065345

Document by Poornima Ramesh

Popularly called the “Gateway to the South India”,Chennai culture is distinctly different from that of any other city in India. Traditional music, dance and all other art forms of Tamil Nadu are very popular in the city. A stroll down the streets of Chintadripet — conceived as a ‘village of small looms’ — and you will see how an old neighbourhood has paused, even if hastily, to take account of time. The neighbourhood is home to a number of heritage structures, including the 19-century CSI Zion Church, the police station, and Chintadripet Higher Secondary School. At least four old temples and families who have been making temple umbrellas and garlands, among other items, for several temples and festivities find a place in the neighbourhood. They claim hereditary rights in making the colourful and elegant umbrellas - Kovil Kudai to dazzle at the Garuda Seva ceremony during the annual brahmotsavam of the world renowned hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati.



But, only about ten to twelve families of artisans based at Chintadripet here are involved in making the umbrellas and have been keeping alive the tradition as the youngsters are no longer attracted to it.
The hand-made umbrellas — excellent pieces of art, are made ahead of the auspicious Tamil month of Purattasi (September-October). This time 13 umbrellas of varying sizes will be sent to Tirupati in a grand procession. The handle, ranging from 7 to 12 feet is made of teak wood, the collapsible parts with cane and the silk-lace work lends charm to the umbrella cover.


“It will take two days to make a small umbrella of seven feet high. Usually, we begin the work after getting orders,” says Kumar, a hereditary artisan. “Only about ten people are involved in making the umbrellas – a tradition passed down to us by our grandfathers,” he adds. These umbrellas are not made by anyone outside their families, Kumar claims. The manufacture is still an intricate handcrafted product. Old traditional ways are still employed. The fingers of many elderly men and women  still weave and craft the umbrellas and the design motifs that cover them. Technology has made some of the tasks easier and faster.

Each umbrella is designed with the deity it will be used for. The umbrellas being sent to temples of Vishnu are only in white and redcolor. Those being sent to Siva, Ganesha and Devi temples are multi-colored.The motifs on the umbrella once again find their roots in ancient tradition and stories.


Umbrellas come in many sizes and shapes. There is the flat top to the curved top. The size can be from 4.5 feet to 18 feet. When we see the God or Goddess moving in procession with the huge umbrellas, we truly understand why this ancient art and tradition is still practiced and cherished by the temples and devotees.

Through the ages the making of a temple umbrella has modified and adapted itself to the growing technology and demand. During the olden days only pure silk from Kancheepuram was used to cover the umbrellas today, as the demand for a cheaper and effective umbrella is required materials like satin, velvet and polyester is used. The invent of the embroidery machine plays a big role today as motifs are machine made in a more efficient and faster speed. Even though the evolution has dulled down the actual craft, it is still one of the most respected and sort after South Indian craft. It will always play a major role is various religious processions and ceremonies.

Contact details
 Mr. Kumar (Divine temple Umbrellas)

Documented by Vindhya Rk