Lost Art and Craft in India - Minakar Weaving with Silk and Meenakari Designs Traditions

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Jacqueline Kennedy as per the history records was successful in enlisting unearthed fabulous Minakar saris and stoles with the help of Maharaja Martand who was the ruler of Rewa and the representative for the culture heritage amongst other responsibilities. He could pursue and urge the Royal families, especially those of Hyderabad to display intricate Meenakari masterpiece, each of them worth lakhs, for display in the Festival of India in 1985.

It is said that among the display was a magnificent dress called "eklal pishwai", made for the marriage of a Hyderabad princess a century ago from that time and weighed 35 kilos with the heavy adornment of gold brocade fabric. The Minakar work was decked with pure gold and silver design jewelry in the silk fabric. A second example of masterpiece was an old brocade sari woven in silk with lush gold and silver threads.

Still other prominent example was of one Hyderabad noble royal who displayed approximately a century old sari which was heavily embroidered with real diamond and pearls of Meenakari design. In order to sustain the enameling, it is said that the quantity of 50 grams of gold was used for every kilogram of silver in the royal attire of Meenakari stature to maintain robustness of fabric and to avoid wear and tear..

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"Festival of India exhibition in US at 1985" was among the most noted exhibitions where the Meenakari jewelry was displayed in the rich gold saris of Hyderabad royal families.

According to Wikipedia, Kudrat Singh is mentioned as an artisan of India who specializes in Meenakari work or enameling. He is probably the only person who represents the golden era of an artisan household introduced to Rajasthan by Guy Singh belonging to Akbar's common durbar.

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988 and is also a recipient of award for crafts in 1966.

One must also not forget to credit the re-discovery of this Minakar craft by Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of late President Kennedy. She was flabbergasted with the grandeur of these saris when she happened to meet her friends from Indian royal families and did her bit of contribution to bring it forth as a specialized possession and art of Indian tradition.

Since then, the gracious craftsmanship and prominence had very small reason to re-appear and got buried in the almirahs of some of the descendants of the Mughal families and Indian royals.

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Minakari, minakar and meenakari refer to the same terms that broadly mean "Enameling". Minakari is the ancient artwork of colouring and ornamenting the noble metals such as gold and silver by fusing it with more than one outstanding color in a complicated way and manner to achieve strength and robustness of "Zari".

Silk which is the most prominent fabric in the Minakar artwork was probably one of the most valuable discoveries. The Chinese had already explored how to make silk thread from the cocoons of silkworms and kept the secret with them for a long while. Since then, the ancient Chinese people started cultivating both silkworms and the mulberry trees on which they the silkworms were raised.

Obviously, the wealthiest could afford robes made from silk. From China the weaving with silk spread to many Asian countries and the Nizam, noble persons of the Indian Royal families adopted silk as their royal attire.

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But from such regal heights of the palaces of reputed Indian Maharajas, this ancient craft of Meenakari artwork and designs have descended into the depths of oblivion. Meenakari furniture, Meenakari paintings and enameling of gorgeous Indians sarees in which the designs are embroidered on silk with gold and silver threads have since perished.

Old Delhi has generally remained a vital purchasing and promoting centre in northern India from a long time. A three-century-old market is amongst the hottest purchasing locations in Delhi for Meenakari jewellery designs and Zari saris. But the genuineness and authenticity may not be the same and the purity of gold remains to be verified in the silk.

Outdated and dilapidated Meenakari paintings from Jaipur, nonetheless including legacies of Indian Maharajas and the rich Mughal empire can be found amongst the narrow tangle of snaking lanes and teeming bazaars of Chandni Chowk.

If you are lucky, you might occasionally come across rare Meenakari designs in the old lanes of Jaipur, Rajasthan but as per records these ancient heritage of Indian culture seems to have vanished leaving no trace of its origin and process whatsoever.

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Meenakari paintings were engraved and utilized for making valuable objects of art and enriching Meenakari gold jewellery. Gold continued to be utilized traditionally for Minakari jewelery for a long time because of its malleability and also because it retained the enamel much better.

The noble metal gold lasts longer than its counterpart silver and its golden luster brings out the colors of the enamels vividly. Though, silver gets oxidized and loses its luster gradually due to oxidation, it can but retain its form for a long duration with Meenakari designs.

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But from these royal heights, the Meenakari gold jewellery and Minakar heirlooms have descended to the depths of oblivion. At the best, some will still be found in the huge boxes and well protected showrooms and glass cases as the palaces of Indian Maharajas were plundered during the sad downfall of the kingdoms.

The masterpiece of Minakari work in jeweler's parlance which signifies enameling styles that have been embroidered on silk, with gold and silver threads, alas are not to be found today, except for some rare instances here and there.

Sadly, a grand chapter of Meenakari gold jewellery design in Indian sari weaving had ended. Since there were no written documents on this ancient craft of Meenakari painting and Minakar design, it was difficult to know how exactly were the weavers designing this ancientcraft with silk brocade and Minakar work.

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The Meenakari gold jewellery design is embellished in an intricate and intrigued style on the brocade giving it a rich and lavish royal look.

This aesthetic piece of art originated during the reigns of Mughals in India where they reinvented the artwork of enamel or minakar craft and was adored by Mughal gharanas who loved rich fabric designs with gold and also worn by Hindu princesses of Rajasthan.

The Meenakari work is now gaining some momentum, though the original art is lost and the rich are looking for Meenakari designs in silk sarees, a traditional attire of Indian women. There are instances of reviving this ancient art and rediscovering it to blend with the contemporary weaving of silk.

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Notable amongst Delhi's arts and crafts are the Zardozi, an embroidery completed with gold thread and Meenakari, the artwork of enameling. You can see the craft in some parts of Jaipur which offer numerous various Indian handicrafts and handlooms too.