Volume : 5, Issue : 12, December - 2016

Ivory Chuda: The Fading Craft of Kachchh�s Royal Court

Ms. Vibha B Kalaiya, Dr. Madhu Sharan

Abstract :

<p>&nbsp;<span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Indian jewellery comprises a vast and complex assortment of marvels. Traditional ornaments- having a distinctive cultural identity played a significant and fascinating role in characterising Indian Royalty. The study aimed to encapsulate crafting one such tradition of wearing the ivory </span><i style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">chuda-</i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">a custom adhered to the royal house of Kachchh, the princely state of Gujarat. The personal interviews of members of royal family and the case study of the ivory </span><i style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">chuda</i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> artisan were conducted with the help of open and close ended interview schedule. The results revealed that the ivory </span><i style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">chuda</i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> was the essential ornament of the dignified royal women and it symbolized their marital status. The practice of wearing ivory bangles was followed among the married women of royal family of Kachchh since the generations. With the emergence of some of the Indian government policies and the newer technologies, the craft of ivory </span><i style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">chuda</i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> making started fading away. Though the custom of wearing a </span><i style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">chuda</i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> still prevails in the royal family, the noble women have accepted the replica of ivory </span><i style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">chuda.</i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> The present study is an attempt to ascertain the craft of making the ivory </span><i style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">chuda</i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> with its relevance to the past and present scenario.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:&#10;justify;line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:&#10;200%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>