MORADABAD - HOME OF BRASSWARE - INDIA CLOSE UP

A cycle-rickshaw ride from Katghar station iies the town of Moradabad, named after prince Murad Baksh. He was Mumtaz Mahal's youngest son. He didn't live to see Moradabad flourish. He was executed by his brother Alamgir in Gwalior. 




The artisans of Moradabad though, continued to smelt, pour, mould, hammer and shape away. Their exquisite paandaans and taantis began to gain fame in noble households as well as well as among the common man.. Their work began to reach the outside world, as Arab traders carried their wares to Oman, and beyond, as far as the Red Sea and to Egypt. Moradabadi brassware became synonymous with graceful lines and intricately engraved designs.

An entire caste, the dhaliyas, are engaged in casting the metal. In thousands of workshops, sheet-metal is turned into beautifully shaped and artfully engraved objects. A wooden mallet and pointed chisel are used to engrave designs from memory, a process called kalamkari.







The town churns out crores of brass objects each year, and 40% of our metal handicrafts are exported from this region.


The man who founded the town, Rustam Khan, before it became Moradabad, has given it its Jama

Masjid, a fine example of medieval architecture.




Text: Shankar A. Narayan Photos: Robin Wyatt Vision and An Enclycopaedia of Indian Handicrafts