Material Culture

A flexible gold bracelet strung on black cord with a screw attachment at the clasp, the paunchi is yet another instance of the organic shapes...

The Jomale or Jomaale, a double strand of grooved, lac-filled gold beads resembling the Indian gooseberry, strung on black cord, is an essential part of...

Kasara or Kaasara ( also referred to as Kaalpilli ), worn on the feet by a Kodavathi bride on the murtha day consists of five...

Silver ornaments which are part of the Kodavathi bride’s jewellery include the kaisara ( also referred to as kaipilli ), an assemblage of rings for every...

Poliya is a lidded basket made of woven cane (toore). It has a specific use at a Kodava wedding ceremony, where it is filled with...

The Kodava pathak (from padakkam) is an ornament worn by women that symbolizes their married status. It consists of a gold coin surmounted with a...

Set of wooden grain measures

An assortment of wooden grain measures dating back to different eras. They were used to measure mainly paddy, as it was loaded onto bullock carts...

Boxes made of woven cane in different sizes and shapes were used to store clothes, valuables and jewellery. In the image, the largest box was...

thengala

Terracotta pots with small perforations known as thengala were placed in the yard, and a small quantity of eri (beeswax) place inside to attract wild...

Tiered earthenware pots were used to make kachina kall (a clear rice wine distilled from germinated paddy) which was very popular in Kodagu. The tiered...

mukkalai and cheppe

Mukkali is a low, three-legged wooden stool, used on ceremonial occasions, or when it is necessary to mark status or offer respect. It is used...

kanji kala

Excess, starchy water from boiling rice was poured into a kanji kala (large earthenware pot with a base) that was usually placed on the floor...

A wooden bracket fixed on a wall, for placing lamps. — From the collection of BP Appanna and Ranu Appanna

Woven basket, made from wotae, a variety of bamboo, suspended on a wooden slat over the cooking fire. It was used to store jaggery, smoked,...

Stone weights and measures were used for weighing grain, and also fresh food such as pork. In the image, anticlockwise from upper right: kalle mana,...

Chittani Putt Kall

Chittani putt is a small, rounded putt made from soaked and ground raw rice, cooked rice and flavourings such as cardamom and an egg. The vessel is...

Vintage wooden press for making chakkuli, a savoury deep-fried snack popular across several cultures, made of rice flour, gram flour and spices kneaded into a dough....

Mor kuthi, buttermilk churn crafted from a cross-section of bamboo. The long-handled dasher known as mand kol has a perforated coconut shell at the end,...

Otti maria, a wooded platter for kneading dough for akki ottis (unleavened rice flatbreads). A mixture of rice flour and cooked rice is kneaded into...

Pandi curry chatti, a large terracotta pot used for cooking up to 10 kilos of pork for pandi curry, a celebratory dish that was often cooked...

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