The Beautiful Journey of Meenakari Art....

We all love and praise Meenakari art, the beauty, the exclusivity created by this art form is mesmerising. We never give a second thought while buying a Meenakari engraved product, do we? Never. But ever wondered what this art is and how it was originated; wanted to know then have a glance of the beautiful journey of Meenakari Art, It is as interesting as the art… 

Meenakari is a popular and ancient art of embellishing the metal surface with adorable colours that enhance the overall look of the design. It is a craft which involves enamelling the metal surface. From the prime age of this craft, the artisans were named meenakar, who were involved in creating different types of meenakari item.

History and Origin of Meenakari art:

The art was firstly introduced by Mughals though originated in Persia. This art was bought in Rajasthan by Raja Man Singh of Amber. He invited skilful Meenakars from Mughal Palace and established them in Jaipur, which became the centre of Meenakari later in India.  It is also said that the Iranian craftsmen of Sasanid invented this art and Mongols spread it to India and other countries.

Colours like red, green and white dominates this art of enamelling. In India, Nathdwara, Bikaner, and Udaipur are the main hubs of silver meenakari . Delhi and Varanasi are also an important centre of exclusive Meenakari designs. 

Process of Meenakari Art:

The process of doing this is as fine as the art is. It was first started by Chitera and then followed by goldsmith, designer (Kalamkar, Khodnakar), Polisher, enamellist, stone-setter and stringer who involves a good team of craftsmen and created beautifully finished products. But because of lack of resources, the artisan's experts in different are handled all the responsibilities of their own.

First step involves engraving the metal surface with attractive design and later adding the colour to enhance the look of metal. After a Meena is placed on the metal so that it can fuse well and become hard to stick on the metal. Once the whole process is done the surface is cleaned with lemon and tamarind so the surface shine.

The enamel colours usually consist of metal oxides which are mixed with powdered glass and the oxides are responsible for adding a shade to the metal. Before colouring the metal surfaces, it has to be cleaned so that it reflects the true colour. And the firing temperature is set to 850 degrees Celsius. 

Forms Of Meenakari Art:

Nowadays, this art form is usually used everywhere. Besides of jewellery, there are lot more products where you can see this art. Huqqas, Pandans, Stools, Metal Figurines, Vases etc. on these you can see beautiful meenakari engraved. Earlier this art form was engraved on gold and silver base but now you can see this on copper also. The Meenakari art creates exclusivity and serves the decorative purpose also. There are many Online Stores which gives you wide options in these Meenakari Art Products.