Bidriware is an ancient art of India that dates back to 14th century an era of affluent Bahmani and Baridi dynasties

s in Bidar, Karnataka. And it continues to flourish even today. With time the expertise has spread to other regions in India like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal but the heart of the art still lies in the same historic town. Artisans living in Bidar region have treasured this rare craftsmanship for centuries. You can find the streets of Bidar bustling with incredibly beautiful handicraft of Bidriware a symbol of prosperity and artistic taste. Origin of Bidriware There are many stories about the origin of Bidriware. Some would attribute it to Abdullah-binKhaiser, a Persian artisan who migrated to Bidar (India) on the request of then Bahmani Sultan (ruler). Sultan wanted Abdullah-bin-Khaiser to paint and decorate the royal palaces. The story has is that Abdullah-bin-Khaiser teamed up with locals to devise and popularize the art of Bidriware. Being fine art connoisseur, Sultan and his successors patronized Bidriware. The rewards were attractive for locals to pursue the art as a profession. Some other accounts give the credit to a Hindu ruler of Bidar. Its said that the King was a great devotee of God. He wanted to offer prayers and flowers to God in exquisitely adorned articles and therefore he innovated Bidriware craft which was later refined and promoted by [Link] of who invented the art, one thing is certain that the Bidriware craft flourished in Mughal era. It were Mughal emperors who loved and promoted the art. Even today the Bidriware craftsmanship lies mostly with Muslim families in Bidar belt. It continues to pass from generation to generation and get perfected. The roots of the Bidriware go back to Persia and Arabia where the art of inlaying gold and silver in the articles of copper and steel was very popular. After reaching in India the craft took a whole new form. It involves encrusting one metal as a wire into another metal creating breathtaking decorative pieces. Since the art took its current form in Bidar, its called as Bidriware. Process of Making Bidriware What distinguishes Bidriware from other arts is the carefully selected alloy of zinc and copper in the proportion of 16:1. Artisans did not pick a metal randomly. Instead, it appears that, a lot of research and experimentation has gone into choosing the metal combination that can not only withstand the test of the time but also accentuates the intricate designs. This unique zinc and copper alloy article can adorn your house for many years without showing any signs of rust or corrosion. The process of making Bidriware is long, intricate, and enduring. The first step involves casting which is done in moulds of special soil of Bidar. The red soil is made malleable by mixing caster oil and resin. Once the mould is ready, the molten alloy is poured into the mold. And then the article is smoothened with files and scrapes. Next step involves a black coating and designing. The design is etched free hand first and later sharp and small chisels are used to carve out the design. It requires ultimate control over carving to fuel life into the designs. The designs range from flowers, creepers, geometric patterns, to human figures.

Once the design is carved out fine wires or sheets of silver are gently hammered into the chiseled design pattern. Other steps like filing and polishing follow to give a silky smooth look to the object. The final step involves permanent black coating on the entire surface of the object. Again, the black coating is no ordinary. Its made by mixing soil, oil, and carefully chosen chemicals like ammonium chloride. It is this black coating that makes the silver patterns shimmer superbly through the dark background. The object is rinsed, polished with oil to deepen the black matt coating. This adds brilliance to the inlaid silver pattern and there you have it! A Bidriware article! Common Bidriware Today, you can buy a vast variety of items with Bidri designs on it but the most popular ones include flower vases, trays, plates, cups, saucers, mitiature paintings, idols, decorative items, and jewelry boxes. They are available in varied sizes, shapes, and designs. More intricate the design is, costlier it is. You can buy from an array of choices depending upon your taste and budget. When you are buying Bidriware, its important you buy it from a trusted place as you dont want your Bidriware to start rusting. It must be of great quality so buy carefully. Also be sure of what you are buying. For example, there are other variations of this art where copper or steel wires are used in place of silver. They are equally beautiful however you should not pay the silver price for copper so make sure you know what you are paying for. Maintaining Bidri Items You may buy very expensive Bidriware but if you don't maintain it well enough, it's likely to lose its sheen over time. To make your Bidri items immortal, you need to take proper care of them. For example, you should keep them protected from soap or salt. These elements can easily spoil the black coating so you never want to bring your Bidri item in contact with them. You can apply vegetable oil on the entire surface or even a silver polish is permitted but don't experiment with anything else.

Bidriware as Gifts You can not only decorate your own house or office with Bidriware but it's alsoan excellent gift for Navratras, Dugra Puja, and [Link] just that, Bidriware utensils are common wedding gift items in southern India. It's a rare traditional heritage that's also popularaly exchanged as corporate gift. Among corporate gifts, the popular items include pen holders, card holders, and flower vases. A gift cannot get more beautiful than this.

The following is a news article from the hindu:

This was badly needed as the few Bidri artisan families in Bidar were planning to shift to other means of livelihood as it had stopped to be remunerative. The artisans did not get as much money as the middlemen in Bangalore and Hyderabad did. The cost of silver, copper and bronze, that are essential to the art is increasing, pushing the cost of Bidri craft outside the reach of middleclass families. Finally, the hard labour involved weakened the eyesight of artisans early. Bidri artisans have a problem getting the soil from the old buildings inside the Bidar Fort. It is said that Bidri art originated in Bidar 800 years ago. Bidriware is one of the most important handicrafts that is exported. The handicraft items have patterns made of zinc and copper and inlaid with pure silver wire or thin sheets. The craftsmanship and skilled labour involved in creating Bidriware are considered invaluable. The most important ingredient of Bidri articles is the soil from the bottom of ancient buildings inside the Bidar Fort. This soil, which has not been exposed to rain or sunlight for centuries, has chemicals that give a lustrous black colour to Bidriware. And since it is hand made after long hours of skilled labour, it cannot be "mass produced" or manufactured in factories. The making and marketing of Bidriware remained unorganised for many years. Artisans complained middlemen and showrooms made all the profits while they were paid minimum amounts. However, the scenario changed after the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development started the Bidri cluster development programme and set up a Bidri colony in Bidar in 2002. This led to the formation of self-help groups of Bidri artisans, mostly comprising men. The SHGs are doing well and got a national award now. The SHG movement also helped three senior artistes get State and national awards. The state government honoured Shah Rashid Ahmed Quadri with the Rajyotsava award on Tuesday. Mr Quadri, Mohammad Moijuddin and Abdul Raouf have also won the national award. Faculty of the National Institute of Design have conducted some training to artisans. The Bidriware consists of items made of an alloy of copper and zinc. The artistes sketch free-hand designs on this with a sharp metal stylus. Silver wires or plates are hammered into the intricate design. Later, the art piece is treated with chemicals and the special soil to give it a dark black colour. Another chemical treatment is given and the silver inlay stands out against the dark background