WONDERS FROM WILLOW WICKER OF KASHMIR

                                                                  

           Anyone  who  has lived in Kashmir can never  be ignorant about the Willow wicker work. Even those who visit this place as tourists ,    get attracted to the well-designed  willow wicker products sold in the city  markets.

 kangris ( firepots ) , Baskets , Chairs , tables ,Boxes , Packing cases , Lamp shades and charmingly quaint objects are made from willow wicker in Kashmir . These goods have abundant domestic and International market. In Srinagar  city, I found that the exquisite variety is readily available at some shops in Hazarat Bal . Perhaps this area is a hub  for manufacture and trade of  willow wicker objects having decorative or practical utility .  Shaak-saaz or the willow wicker gatherer and Kaaneul or the weaver are two key persons in this activity. Wicker is abundantly available from willow tress in Kashmir  . Once cut from tree , this wicker is soaked in water  to make it soft . It is necessary to peel off the skin and apply a coat of varnish to the finished product  to give it shine  and enhance its  useful life . In Hot and dry climated , the objects need to be sprayed with water  so that these do not turn brittle and break.

This activity is not confined to city only . infact some excellent willow kangris and baskets are  brought to  srinagar city  from places like  Tsraar , Anantnaag , Traal , Bijbehara , Pattan and  Qazigund  .                                                                               


CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.