History and Origin of the Art form:
Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur was the 25th and the last Maharaja of the princely state of Mysore. During his reign artisan practiced several crafts including ivory inlay in rosewood, as rosewood was available in abundance locally. Lately a Master Craftsperson of the craft ‘Shokat Ali’ brought a totally new evolution in the craft by using locally available wood of different colors to create wonderful art pieces. These art pieces were well appreciated by the king and it was easy to learn and practice for the other people too. The unique material culture and simple technique brought the revolution in the world of art and craft and also in the life of people. The artisans flourished with unique style in their products in Ivory & Rose wood Inlay craft.
The Cluster:
To give rise to the crafts of Karnataka, the government has set up a Multicraft complex, a cluster which includes 480 houses built with the help from both central and state governments. The government supported set-up provides living and working spaces for about 2000 crafts person and their families. The procurement center set up by the government of Karnataka is a unit of ‘Cauvery’ Karnataka State Arts & Crafts Emporium that provides the artisans raw materials like Sandalwood and purchase craft objects from the artisans and market them through their own outlets at different parts of the state. The organization conducts training programs sponsored by Development Commissioner of Handicrafts with the help of in-house design center and ‘Chamraja Technical Institute’, Mysore. It organizes Health camps for the artisan families, provides insurance to enrolled artisans.
