GI Protected Toys, Games and puppets of India

GI Protected Toys, Games and puppets of India are as follows.

Channapatna Toys & Dolls

Channapatna toys are a particular form of wooden toys (and dolls) that are manufactured in the town of Channapatna in the Bangalore Rural district of Karnataka. This traditional craft is protected as a geographical indication (GI) under the World Trade Organization, administered by the Government of Karnataka. As a result of the popularity of these toys, Channapatna is known as Gombegala Ooru (toy-town) of Karnataka. Traditionally, the work involved lacquering the wood of the Wrightia tinctoria tree, colloquially called Aale mara (ivory-wood).

Kondapalli Bommallu

Kondapally Toys are the toys made of wood in Kondapalli of Krishna district, a village nearby Vijayawada in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Bommala Colony translates to Toys Colony in Kondapalli is the place where the art of crafting takes place. These toys were one of the variety of toys assembled in the houses during the festivals of Sankriti and Navratri and is referred as Bommala Koluvu.The art of crafting is a 400 year old tradition.

Ganjifa Cards of Mysore (Karnataka)

Mysore was a centre for Ganjifa card making, encouraged by the ruler Krishnaraja Wodeyar III in the mid-19th century. He devised a series of complex Ganjifa games, some requiring as many as 18 different suits, permanent trumps, and wild cards. A typical Chad suit had twelve numeral and six court cards, and packs had as many as 360 cards. They never achieved mass appeal and are quite obscure, possibly played only within his royal palace if at all. The games are described in the work called the Sritattvanidhi, in the section ‘Kautuka nidhi’, and colour illustrations show designs for the cards.

Nirmal Toys and Craft

Nirmal toys are traditional Indian wooden toys made in the town of Nirmal in the Adilabad district in the newly formed state of Telangana in India.Nirmal Art, encompassing a 400-year-old tradition of making soft wood toys and paintings, occupies a place of pride in the world of handicrafts. The finely carved figures and dainty paintings are still being used to decorate drawing rooms in thousands of homes across the country. The small town of Nirmal in Adilabad district of Telangana was once famous as a production centre of as diverse things as cannons and toys.

Leather Toys of Indore

This art of creating life like animal statues from leather is practiced in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Craftsmen and their families practice this art of making toy from leather and create miniature to life size version of all types of animals, from horses, cows, and elephants, lions, tigers, and rhinos among others, to exotic creatures of the wild, like giraffes, zebras.

Kathputlis of Rajasthan

The art of Rajasthan puppetry evolved in the Marwar region of Rajasthan among a community of agricultural labourers known as the Bhats. Because of their association with the art of string puppetry the people of this community are popularly known as puppeteers or ‘Kathputliwaalas’. The age old tradition of puppetry or as known in the local language, Kathputlis became a part of the Rajasthani culture years ago and has survived the test of time.

Thanjavur Doll

Thanjavur, formerly Tanjore, is a city in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur doll is a type of traditional Indian booblehead or roly-poly trade made of terracotta material. The centre of gravity and total weight of the doll is concentrated at its bottom most central core all the time so as to present a dance like continuous movement with slow damping oscillation. It has been recognized as Geographical indication in 2008-09. It is made of terracotta material.

Andhra Pradesh Leather Puppetry

Leather puppetry is a traditional art and one of the oldest art form in India. These are shadow puppets which are flat figures cut one of leather treated to a translucency. Leather show puppetry of Andhra Pradesh is known as Tholu Bommalata (Tholu-Leather, Bommalata-puppet dance). Two other kinds of shadow puppetry are practiced in Andhra Pradesh,  the Sutram Bommalata (Sutram Bommalat) and Koyya Bommalata.

Villianur Terracotta Works

The Villianur Terracotta Works are handicrafts made from fine green clay, fine sand and thennal which are hand made by villagers of Villianur, in the union territory Pondicherry.  This handicraft product has been registered for protection under the Geographical indication of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement. These terracotta products are made in and around Villianur commune Panchayat of Pudhucherry. A specialty of Villianur terracotta, which is not possible with other terracotta works, is that they can be made to a height of 30 feet (9.1 m) and moulded to any thickness.

Kinhal Toys

Kinnal Craft or Kinhal Craft is a traditional wooden craft local to the town of Kinhal, or Kinnal, inKoppal District, North Karnataka. The town is famous for Kinhal toys and religious idols. This village is famous for Kinnal Craft. Recently this Craft has been granted Geographical Indication.


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