The Aranmula Mirror making process - Casting of The Brass Frame

Here it is explained the making process of brass frames for aranmula metal mirror.

A kowa or crucible made of wrought iron having an approximate capacity of holding 9 Kg of molten metal is cleaned. The pieces of pure chembu (copper), eeyam (tin) and nagam (zinc) are added in proportion. The mouth of the kowa is sealed with clay. An opening lid made of clay, is also provided. Two vertically opposite holes are provided to pour out the molten metal. One of these holes acts as an air vent.

The Kowa us then placed in an open pit furnace charged with burning charcoal. It is then covered with pieces of thondu, as thondu retains the heat. It is heated to about 400 degree Celsius (approximate melting point of brass). The molten metal is poured onto flat surface (usually the ground itself). Once cooled, the alloy is then broken into pieces using a chuttika (hammer). The broken pieces are then inspected for the quality of the alloy. If found satisfactory, then it is remelted. Else more amount of the alloying elements are added. The molten metal is then poured into the preheated mound. It is then left for cooling. Once cooled, the clay mould is broken and the casting is removed. The casting is checked for any deformities. Usually the master craftsman prepares four to five mirrors and polishes them at a stretch. When one gets heated he does the polishing for the next one while the other cools.

To achieve high quality reflective surface the polishing can go on from one to two d

ays. Once the required polished surface is achieved it is then further polished using a piece of cotton cloth. Then final polishing is done using a velvet cloth. The velvet tends to absorb the oil that was applied earlier on to the mirror. Hence, further polishing is continued on another dry piece of velvet.The velvet cloth is placed on the ground and the mirror along with wooden blank is moved in the desired direction. Once satisfactory finish is achieved the disk is just heated to separate it from the wooden blank and the mirror is mounted on brass fame.

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Know more about 'Valkannadi' ( Handheld Mirrors)

There has been the mentioning of metal mirror in many Puranas including the Rig-Veda. Even in the carvings of Kajuraho there has been depiction of hand held mirrors. The mirror is oval shape or as per the ancient, it is shaped as the ‘YONNI MUKH’ or Vaginal face. It depicts femininity, just as Shiva Lingam depicts masculinity.

The VaalKannadi had been used by the ladies of wealthy families for make up and also to admire themselves. It has also been an item of social symbol. This had its popularity until the advent of the commercially manufactured glass mirrors which proved much cheaper and also served the purpose more efficiently.

There are many temples in which the VaalKannadi is used to symbolize Goddesses, i.e., Goddesses with out from. If it is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi, Veena is placed next to the mirror. The mirror has a lot of ritualistic importance.

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Aranmula Metal Mirror - Story about the Smith and Mirror

Here its the story behind the making of aranmula mirror.

A few centuries back the high priest of Aranmula Parthasarathy temple found that the crown made for the deity was cracked. The local king then summoned the head the bronze smith clan and ordered him to make a new crown within three days. The chief got worried as he did not have sufficient materials. Further there was not sufficient time to get the material from other places.

He came home and told his wife about his worries. It is claimed that while they were sleeping, the Goddess appeared in he dreams and told her the proportions for a bronze alloy that shone like a mirror and asked her to tell the ladies of the community to surrender their gold ornaments. All the gold were collected and sold to buy sufficient tin and copper. That night she went and told all the ladies to do as per the orders of the Devi.

The crown made out of the combination of copper and tin turned out to be a marvel of art and craft. It was silver like colour, brittle like glass, shone with rare brilliance, and when cleaned acquired the quality of reflection. The makudam of crown known as Kannadi Bhimbom (Mirror image) was preserved in the Aranmula temple till 1946. The casters soon worked out the ratios of different metals used.

The chieftain of Aranmula liberally patronized the craft persons and even laid down an order that the mirror should from one of the eight auspicious articles used in all Hindu religious rites including marriage. They then made a small “KUMKUMA CHEPPU” or vermilion container, in bronze and filled in with a small bronze mirror on the cover. This became very popular among the elite of Malayali Society. Under the patronage of a few aristocratic ladies the VaalKannadi flourished. But the demand died gradually a cheaper glass mirrors were available. The popularity of the handicraft grew by bounds only a decade ago, stepping us its demand especially in foreign countries.

Aranmula Metal Mirror - History (1)

Approximately five generations ago, a few Indian artisans came to Aranmula from Sankaran Koil near Tirunelveli. They came at the behest of the King of Pandalam, who asked them to participate in building the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. These artisans, aside from carrying out their assigned tasks, made ornaments (e.g. bangles and rings), cooking vessels and bells by casting copper based alloys. In working with the bronzes, the artisans discovered the reflective property of one particular copper-tin alloy. This characteristic of the polished metal has been exploited for making those bronze mirrors known as “Aranmula Kannadi”, meaning Aranmula Mirror.

Aranmula Kannadi (Aranmula Mirror) is a precious inherited gift. The mystery of its production is a family gift handed over through generations. It is an exclusive product of Aranmula, near Chengannur, a village in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala State, India. This artistic creation is to adorn the grandeur of the houses. This handicraft is as beautiful and attractive as the glittering gold purified. In Puranas it has been described as the mirror of Goddess Parvathi. It is luxurious thing used to decorate and beautify the celebrations and ceremonies. It is famous for its secretive construction method and uniqueness in the make which get Patent protected with a Geographical Indication tag.

The mirror making process is very special and traditional. It may take many months to complete and Aranmula metal mirror. Many people believe that owning an Aranmula Metal Mirror brings Good Luck to their lives.

Six Things to know about Aranmula Mirror

1) Aranmula Kannadi is unique in the make which is patent protected with a 'Geographical indication tag'.

2) The British Museum in London has a 45 centimeter tall Aranmula Metal Mirror in its collection.

3) The Aranmula Kannadi is not created from glass but from a combination of special metal alloy.

4) Many people believe that owning an Aranmula Metal Mirror brings good luck, wealth and prosperity to one's lives

5) Aranmula Kannadi is one among the eight auspicious items included in the "Astamangalya Set", which is used for very auspicious occasions like marriage.

6) Aranmula, a small village in Kerala - "God's Own Country" has been selected among thirty two villages for the two-year Endogenous Tourism Project (ETP), jointly sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of India.

Aranmula metal mirror is a rare piece of craft that had existed even during the Vedic period of Indian history. The myth about the origin and secret of its composition makes it a truly fascinating craft. As traditional as the mirror-making technology is, the artisans' belief that the composition of the metal mirror is divine and some undisclosed metals alloyed with silver, bronze, copper and tin are responsible for the distortion-free images.

Aranmula kannadi is costly - Why?

Aranmula metal mirror ( Aranmula kannadi ) is costly. nobody can offer you a cheap aranmula kannadi. BEWARE!!! if you get an aranmula metal mirror( aranmula kannadi) in a cheap rate, that may be an original and traditional aranmula metal mirror.

Let me explain why the aranmula metal mirror is costly.

A huge amount of determination, perseverance and patience goes into the making of this enchanting mirror. Mud from the local paddy fields is used for the mould into which the molten alloy mix is poured to cast the mirror and the technique followed is the cire-perdue or the lost wax method of casting.

Even with the utmost care, only about 60% of the cast metal mirrors can be salvaged, the rest get damaged in the process of manufacture. The metal mirror is then polished using well-ground, burnt clay powder mixed with special oil on a jute cloth. To achieve a highly reflective surface, polishing can go on from one to several days. When a satisfactory finish is achieved, the mirror is mounted on various models of artistic brass frames.

The special image in aranmula metal mirror

Everybody is asking whats the difference between an ordinary glass mirror and the aranmula metal mirror. first of all the aranmula kannadi is made up of metal. thats why its called aranmula metal mirror. the mirror part is metal!!! yes METAL...

Aranmula Kannadi is not mass produced and is hand made with all its perfections as how one looks at it? While commercially available glass mirrors reflect an image, because of a silver coating at its rear, Aranmula Metal Mirror is the only mirror which reflects from the front plane. This had its popularity until the advent of the commercially manufactured glass mirrors which proved to be much cheaper. The demand of Aranmula Kannadi grew by bounds only a decade ago especially in foreign countries.

Aranmula mirror - Unique mirror in the world

The exquisite "Aranmula Kannadi" is a very special type of metal mirror produced only in Aranmula, a village in the state of Kerala in India. Aranmula metal mirror is a precious inherited gift. The mystery of its production is a family gift handed over through generations. Indeed, the ancient art of making metal mirrors is still practiced, without modification, by a few family-based artisans in Aranmula . The manufacture of Aranmula Kannadi has been a zealously guarded secret of a handful of these surviving artisans.

Aranmula metal mirror is a rare piece of craft that had existed even during the Vedic period of Indian history. The myth about the origin and secret of its composition makes it a truly fascinating craft. As traditional as the mirror-making technology is, the artisans' belief that the composition of the metal mirror is divine and some undisclosed metals alloyed with silver, bronze, copper and tin are responsible for the distortion-free images.