Indian Antique Quest

Saturday, 8 July 2017

Paavai Vilakku - Damsel with the lamp

                         Paavai Vilakku - An Overview by                        Indian Antique Quest

            Traditional South Indian Votive oil lamp depicting a lady holiding a lamp with both hands is  known by various names such as  Paavai Vilakku / Kai Vilakku yendiya Kaarigai / Deepa Lakshmi / Vilakku lakshmi meaning “lamps held by woman in her hands” or "Damsel with the lamp"..It signifies an unique craft made by the Yavanas (The Greeks) from a mix of metals including gold mainly for the use at the Palace of Pandya kings.

The original Yavana (Greek) designed lamps can still be seen in very old temples both in metals and in stone carvings incorporated in to the main temple structure and still being lit regularly.

Spread of the craft:

                 Paavai vilakku concept and making spread across cultures through out the country due to their immense beauty & appeal as a result we can now see many styles in this lamp with slight variations, alterations and improvisations done to the original concept but without changing the basic design. So now every state of India had its own style of Paavai Vilakku

Concept and design:

               It was said that most of these original paavai lamps were designed based on the queen and royal ladies as the model and that the reason most of the antique paavai has elaborate detailing in attire, make over and draped with jewelry and has the crown on its head this can be evidently seen on close observation..There are a few temples where one can see the king and queen both modeled for the paavai lamps as a couple holding lamps..

Paavai lamps in family:

              Later the people who could afford made Paavai lamps designed them like the prominent female members of their family and passed the lamps across generations making them immortals and also symbolising them as family guiding angels..

Paavai Lamps in sects of hinduism:

             Apart from it there are Paavai lamps designed for Shaivaites as Godess Meenakshi with parrot on her right shoulder and for Vaishnavites as Godess Aandal depicted with a parrot on her left shoulder.. also there is a common to both sect variant shown with parrot on both shoulders and also another variant without any parrot..

Reference of Paavai Vilakku in ancient tamil classical work:

யவனர் இயற்றிய வினை மாண்பாவை;

Greek designed intricate lamp;

கை ஏந்து ஐ அகல் நிறைய நெய்சொரிந்து,        

Hand held compartment filled with Ghee,

பரூஉத் திரி கொளீஇய குரூஉத் தலைநிமிர் எரி,        

Cotton slevers wick lit glows up straight like a proud head held high,

அறு அறு காலைதோறு, அமைவரப்பண்ணி,  

Glows and burns all the night till the day,

பல் வேறு பள்ளிதொறும் பாய் இருள்நீங்க...

Lightens all the bedrooms dispelling the darkness...

(Reference: Classical tamil literary work

Nedu-Nal-Vaadai by Poet Nakkirar – Verses 101- 105)

Authored by 

Sridhar, MBA, MTM, MHRM.,

Founder - Indian Antique Quest 

Antique Curio Etailer 

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Wednesday, 21 June 2017

Soorya Palagai : South Indian carved wood wall panels

South Indian carved wood wall panels

These are traditional door atop wooden carved panels featuring various hindu mythological charecters and subjects, carved out from single block of wood, the type of work called as Nagasu pattern where in life like details are portayed bringing in the old world charm. The most famous subjects of these panels are Gajalakshmi, Meenakshi thirukalyanam, Dasavathara, Trinity of brahma, vishnu and shiva, etc..#indiantiquest

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Sridhar, MBA, MTM, MHRM.,

Founder - Indian Antique Quest

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Kal chatty or Kal pathiram: Stone cook wares of yore

What are the use of Stones in cooking? 1.May be as a grinding stone? 2. As a base for make shift fire cooking? 3. Crushing ginger garlic and aromatic tubers? Well if your answer was as above - Meet the Forefathers of all cooking vessels :

Proud to present 400 year old Antique Stone Cooking Vessels of our ancestors these are predecessors of Clay ware and Porcelain ware, Still usable but not for the faint hearted because even the smallest vessel weighs couple of Kilograms..The specialty of stoneware was that it retained most of the nutrients in cooking, secondly it requires no oil in cooking.

The stoneware's are mainly made from two stones namely Soap stone which is a soft light stone known for ease of carving and another made of unpolished granite known for its strength and durability.

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Sridhar, MBA, MTM, MHRM.,

Founder - Indian Antique Quest

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Manapen Manamagal Marapachi bommai - Auspicious wooden dolls for the Bride and Groom

Marapachi dolls dressed as bride and groom given as wedding gifts to the newly weds, as an auspicious gift..The way these dolls are dressed depends upon the cultural background, ethnicity and region of the Wedded pair, typical styles include dothi and angavastra clad male dolls and saree draped female dolls., it is also customary to dress up the pair to look like Lord Balaji and Godess Padmavathy. These dolls enjoy VIP attention during Nava rathri golu where the mythology states that no golu is complete without Marapachi doll pair.

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Sridhar, MBA, MTM, MHRM.,

Founder - Indian Antique Quest

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Hurricane lantern - The light of yesteryear

Hurricane lamp

Hurricane lanterns are known the World over for its versatility, mobility and reliablity, as the name signifies they withstand burning even amidst a hurricane. They are made from zinc-plated material which protects against corrosion. The special engineered burner operates with no flickering, or soot from the flame. These lanterns also feature a heat resistant Fire proof RGW globe that can withstand operation in the rain or snow, without cracking.
The lamp burner has a flat wick, usually made of cotton. The lower part of the wick dips into the fountain and absorbs the kerosene by capillary action; the top part of the wick extends out of the wick tube of the lamp burner, which includes a wick-adjustment mechanism. Adjusting how much of the wick extends above the wick tube controls the flame. The wick tube surrounds the wick, and ensures that the correct amount of air reaches the lamp burner. Adjustment is usually done by means of a small knob operating, which a toothed, metal sprocket is bearing against the wick. If the wick is too high, and extends beyond the burner cone at the top of the wick tube, the lamp will produce smoke and soot (un burned carbon). When the lamp is lit, the kerosene in the wick burns to produces a clear, bright, yellow flame. As the kerosene burns, capillary action in the wick draws more kerosene up from the fuel tank. All kerosene flat wick lamps use the dead flame burner design, where the flame is fed cold air from below and hot air exits above. The principle behind this lantern is cold air being circulated and fed through the tubes at the sides to the wick end thereby providing constant oxygen supply keeping the flame burning bright at the same time withstanding fierce wind flow. Flat wick lanterns burn brightest with kerosene fuel for which they are made for, but also work fine on clear lamp oil, Petrol and turpentine. The once important part of life now rests at connoisseurs homes as works of art...

Authored by

Sridhar, MBA, MTM, MHRM.,

Founder - Indian Antique Quest

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South Indian water storage vessel

Saalaani and Saal Paanai - Traditional household water vessel of Kongunadu region

Antique Brass Giant Water storage pot called regionally as Kongunadu Saal Paanai (Coimbatore region water pot) handmade percussion hammered Brass., Pot alone weighing a humongous 14 kilograms and the lid is made of bell metal weighing 1.5 kilograms altogether the set weight tips to 16 kilograms. Dimensions: Height of the water pot alone is nearly 2 feet tall and Diameter nearing 2 feet and the top widest part circumference measuring a surprising 5 feet 1 inch, Adding further to its value is the Pairing with its original Burmese Teakwood carved decor stand called as Saalani in Tamil (Saal + Aani meaning Pot + Stand) which on its own a classic collectible, also the part of original set are Eight numbers of heavy handmade Antique Brass tumblers which are placed on the eight niche projections on the wooden frame., two on each corners resembling elephant trunk and On the Whole its a Classic masterpiece that too in a complete set all intact and in pristine condition. Overall height 3 feet tall.

Authored by

Sridhar, MBA, MTM, MHRM.,

Founder - Indian Antique Quest

Antique Curio Etailer

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Friday, 10 February 2017

Marapachi wood dolls of yore

Marapachi dolls (Marapachi bommai)

These were wooden hand crafted dolls originally made in Andhra Pradesh state confined to the sacred town of Tirupathi, the holy land of Lord Balaji it is because these dolls were made from the valued Red sanders wood which is found only around the forests of Tirupathi., and nowhere else. These dolls always comes in pairs of identical size, shape, height, wood grain and texture. To achieve this they select a round block of red sanders wood of desired height and width, then the wood is slit exactly in the centre to form two semi circular cylinders and hand carve the pairs from each block. As a result the two pairs will be strikingly beautiful. The reason behind selection of this particular wood is an interesting story, the red sanders wood is known for its digestive properties, skin soother, wound healing abilities, etc

Every south Indian girl is entitled to her precious pair of Marapachi Bommais at the time of her marriage. Tradition dictates that the bommais are brought out in display, every year, at the time of Navarathiri. The bride's parents present the bommais (dolls) to the bride and initiate the yearly tradition of Navarathiri Gollu in her new home with her husband. These bommais come as couples dressed in their wedding attire, signifying the start of the bride's Gollu collection, which then grows over the years with the addition of various clay dolls from the southern part of India.