Back to publications

The King's Craftsmen- History of the Ivory Carvers of Thiruvananthapuram

Sharat Sunder Rajeev

81-85499-60-8

Kerala Council for Historical Research

Local History

2016

500 /-

Express Interest

This work explores a social domain hitherto unstudied or marginalized, that too a craftsperson community that for various historical reasons that left little written evidence. The author, through meticulous archival work and the collection of oral history, has finally suceeded in constructing a reliable historic narrative of the origin and progress of the ivory craft in Travancore.

The book traces the transformation, through time, of both the craftsperson and the craft. The narrative starts with the popular tales associated with the ivory craftspersons and takes the reader to the historic context in which ivory craft thrived in Travancore. In the process, the author brings to light the artistic and cultural contributions of the artisan community