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

The most ancient and imposing surviving artifacts and monuments are made from stones. Stone carving has been an ancient craft in the Kanchipuram district due to the patronage of religious architecture and sculptures by the ruling dynasties South India. Black and Red Granite are locally available that are used in carving tombstones, letters and gravestones, idols of deities and grinding stones. The skills of carving idols are unique in Tamil Nadu as the carving tradition is still true to translating the sacred scriptures. The beautiful temples that dot the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu have lent the state the sobriquet of “land of temples”. 




The art of sculpting runs in the blood of the locals in Mamallapuram. Even today the stone carvers of Tamil Nadu begin with a prayer that first begs forgiveness from Mother Earth for cutting the stone.The stone cutter starts by locating a good stone quarry. Metal pegs are hammered in a straight line into the rock at intervals. Water is poured onto the rock to wet it. The roughly shaped blocks are then transported to the workshop for more careful shaping.The quality of the stone is checked. The way in which the rock is formed dictates its hardness and textures. The easiest to carve are metamorphic rocks that have been changed by compression, heat or chemical action over millennia. This includes soapstones and marble. 
After bringing to the workshop stone is roughly leveled and the figure that has to be carved out is drawn with a mixture of red oxide and water by the meter craftsman. After making a rough figure on the stone they mark exact proportions of the body posture on it. Once the basic form of the idol is carved and chiseled out, the fine details are taken care of. For this, the tools being used are mainly chisel and hammer. Different kinds of chisel - Varying sizes of heads and a hammer according to the size of the chisel. These basic details include the depth the face, the ornaments, the hands and the legs, and depth whatever needed.In every workshop around 300 chisels are estimated to be in use.The surface of the form is now smoothened before finer details are carved onto it and then The final piece of art is polished by rubbing with sandpaper or carborundum stone.After so many process dedication and hard work, the sculpture is ready. It has to be packed properly and delivered to the customer so that it remains safe from inside and nothing gets damaged. 
 They spend so many days to make a masterpiece which is incredible. The patience that they have and the hard work they do is speechless. It's really not an easy job to do. The craft is in right hands because they do justice to it.The maintained the authenticity of the craft and dedicated their lives to it. The finished sculpture looks so beautiful and the person who sees, they can feel the hard work and dedication behind it. 



The people of Mahabalipuram don't perform this craft just to earn money. They do it because they respect it and it is there on their blood. There are many shops that manufacture these sculptures and export to different foreign countries also. So if you are looking for such beautiful sculptures and want to explore this craft, you are at right place. Mr. K. Shanmugam Sthapathy is one the best manufactures who is practicing this craft since 45 years in Mahabalipuram and exports sculptures to Bangkok, Singapore, Malaysia, France, Dubai and many other places. They provide a variety of designs according to the need of the customers and makes sure that the sculpture is made up of the best quality of the stone. Their store and workshop are government approved as it is continuously working on this craft for many years. 

Contact
K. Shanmugam Sthapathy
Address: ECR.Kovalam road, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu 603104. 
9789048383, 9445735051
Working Hours: 6:00 am To 9:00 pm

Documented by Sanskriti Agarwal