Origin: Wood carving is one of the most in-demand handicrafts of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is known for hills and greenery therefore the wood is found in abundance. You can find local houses with gorgeously carved wooden doors, windows, walls and ceilings. Wood carving is also one of the oldest forms of handicrafts and is 600 to 700 years old.
Present Day: As you travel the breadth of Uttarakhand and find a way to local life, one of the few arresting details is the common feature of beautiful wooden entrances complete with ornate carvings, called Kholi.
In Garhwal and Kumaon the upper stories of the dwelling are done with wood. The most common patterns or motifs found on the wooden carved products are Indian motifs, flowers like rose, lilies, tulips, lotus, pomegranates and grapes, images of humans, birds, animals and other sacred signs, emblems and other gods and goddesses.
The wood carving products are world famous because of the unique and intricate designs. Wood Carving is a laborious job as it requires a lot of precision and detailing. The fine quality work and wood makes this art form popular. The different types of Wood carving products are trays, bowls, cigarette boxes, vases, table lamps, wall plaque, jewellery boxes, ornamental caskets, hanging mirrors, photo frames etc. Wood carving is also done on larger scale for furniture like doors, bedstead, dressing units, tables, chairs, windows etc. Making of wood carving furniture takes time and requires high level of skill.
Procedure: Wood Carving basically includes cutting, shaping, carving, polishing and painting. Wood used in wood carving are Babool wood, Mango wood, wood from Pine trees, Cedrus and Deodar. Wood carving products are made using different parts of the tree like root, trunk and the branches. The products are made by selecting the wood after studying the wood grains. Once the design and the figure is selected, the log of the wood is elected as per the product to be made. Then the process of carving is initiated by using different types of tools like knives, gouges and saw etc. The last step of this process is polishing and adding finishing touches to the product. Products made out of roots are very expensive.
Wood carved products have huge demand overseas and are exported in different parts of the world like USA, U.K, Germany, France, Italy, UAE, Canada etc. These handicrafts have contributed in a big way to Indian economy and this also helps in preserving Indian culture and heritage. You can buy these wooden carved products from different parts of Uttarakhand like Dehradun, Nainital, Rudrapur and local markets.
Bring Home Wood Carved Handicrafts : Dehradun and Nainital are famous for wooden carving products. You can find shops here selling the same.