Lakshmigaripalli Raja-Rani toys seek GI tag
HYDERABAD: The century-old Lakshmigaripalli Raja-Rani toys, a traditional wooden doll craft made using red sanders and holding cultural significance across South India, have been applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. A separate application has also been filed for Madanapalle terracotta and pottery, according to documents submitted to the Chennai GI Registry.
Raja-Rani toys: Craft cluster and tradition
The Lakshmigaripalli dolls are popular in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and are traditionally gifted to brides as part of their wedding rituals. They form the first and most important part of the bommala koluvu (Golu) collection in households.
As per the application, the Raja-Rani toys are a wooden doll craft centred in Lakshmigaripalli village and the nearby Settigunta in Annamayya district, earlier part of Kadapa district. The GI application was filed by the Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Artistic Wooden Toys Workers Industrial Co-operative Society, TOI reported.
The dolls represent a king and queen and belong to the South Indian Raja-Rani or Marapachi tradition, where the “royal couple” is preserved as a cultural heirloom within families. During Navaratri, they occupy a central position in bommala koluvu displays and are regarded as symbols of auspiciousness and prosperity.
Materials, restrictions and livelihood
Artisans traditionally use locally available wood such as red sanders, along with kudumatti, sarkar and teak. Chisels, hammers and files are used for carving, while brushes are used for painting. The toys typically feature turned wooden bodies crafted on a lathe and finished with detailed hand-painting in bright natural or synthetic colours.
The application notes that red sanders is a restricted timber and artisans are permitted only limited, licensed quantities supplied through state agencies at subsidised rates. This restriction directly affects the scale and economics of the craft.
Around 100 families in Lakshmigaripalli and Settigunta depend at least partly on this livelihood. The artisans formed the Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Artistic Wooden Toy Makers Co-operative Society in 1993 to secure raw materials and improve marketing, but continue to face low margins, limited market access and a steady movement of younger generations away from the craft.
Clay, kilns and motifs: Madanapalle pottery
The second GI application, for Madanapalle terracotta and pottery, was filed by the Mother India Terracotta Artisans Mutually Aided Co-operative Society. The craft uses local red, porous clay sourced from nearby riverbeds and pits, with artisans blending two to three types of clay to improve durability.
The cluster comprises about 287 craftspeople in Madanapalle and nearby Palamaner areas. The production process includes wedging to remove impurities and air bubbles, shaping by coiling for larger forms or using a potter’s wheel, burnishing for sheen and kiln-firing to achieve a reddish-brown finish.
Madanapalle terracotta is known for functional items such as matkas (water pots) and for decorative pieces featuring deities, folk scenes and geometric patterns rooted in local culture.
