Odisha seeks GI tag for Cuttack’s silver filigree

CHENNAI: The famed

silver filigree

of

Cuttack

is set to get the geographical indication (

GI

) tag, as the Odisha State Cooperative Handicrafts Corporation Ltd has submitted the application for the same. A part of the Odissi jewellery, silver filigrees are decorative artefacts used as accessories or home décor and as religious and cultural pieces.

Filigree craft is made after silver bricks are transformed into thin fine wires or foils, and then jewellery or showpieces are created. Filigree is traditionally associated with fine craftsmanship and luxurious design in classical jewellery, said Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) attorney and advocate P Sanjai Gandhi, who has filed it on behalf of the Odisha government.

The product lines include betel leaf vessels, wallets, caskets, vermillion boxes and dowry items. Models of Jagannath temple, Konark temple and

Mukteshwar

arch are also created and exhibited abroad as miniature visuals of Orissian art and heritage.

The three-dimensional nature of the products made in Cuttack gives them a realistic finish and makes them unique to the Cuttack cluster.

Durga

puja medhas for Durga puja pandals in Cuttack, Dama chains, Odissi jewellery and religious/cultural pieces are directly linked to the customs of Odisha, according to him. The applicants have traced its origins to 13th century to show historical linkage of the art to the region.

The Dama chain has an intricate mesh-like feature woven into each other to create an infinite loop. This continuous set of loops is woven into pieces of jewellery. The Dama chain is made only by women.

There is no clear proof of origin of the craft, but experts attribute it to the influence from Persians, Indonesians,

Mughals

and even the Greeks, said Sanjai Gandhi. Its existence since 12th century had been confirmed, he said, adding that the art had received considerable patronage under the Mughals.

In fact, historical records say how “in Cuttack the filigree work is generally done by boys, whose sensitive fingers, and keener sight, enable them to put the fine silver threats together with the necessary rapidity and accuracy…,” he said.

Silver filigree, as a crat, has transitioned through time, while staying constant and simultaneously adapting. The core process of the craft had stayed the same over the centuries with only few changes in tools and components, said Sanjai Gandhi.

The product is made mostly by hand, with limited manpower-enhancing machines. Raw materials such as silver, copper, zinc, cadmium and tin are used in specific ratio. The mixture of products had given the Cuttack cluster an edge over other clusters, he said.


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