Benares brass
Encyclopedia
Benares brass is the term used for brassware from Benares (also known as Varanasi
, Varenisi or Kaasi) in India
.
Benares is a pilgrimage
site in India
, as it is considered home to Shiva
or Visweswara, in Utash Pradesh
(Uttar Pradesh State). Benares is particularly famous for its Benares Ware - decorative brass ware and the related popular tourist destination is the Benares Brass Bazaar. Benares is located in an area naturally rich in copper
- a requisite ingredient of brass
. Benares Brass is highly decorated by engraving
, and highly sought after as an antique. Still produced, and available today are new and reproduction wares which may be any combination of embossed, engrave
d, enameled or burnished brass
vessels and brass items.
In ancient India, brass oil lamps decorated with Sanskrit
inscriptions, Hindu
icons, women, and swans, were in early usage in Hindu temple
s, and households. Guild
s were established in the various trades overseen by Karkhanadars: similar to the journeyman
and apprentice of trades of European trades and artisans. Karkhanadars were required to train within the caste
, or be subject to being outcasts themselves. The apprentice would need to develop his work for 6 years before achieving full wage and becoming a Karkhandadar. A school has been established in Benares to teach brassware and inevitably the timeless practices of the guilds are being replaced, to keep pace with modern societal demands.
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
, Varenisi or Kaasi) in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Benares is a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
site in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, as it is considered home to Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
or Visweswara, in Utash Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
(Uttar Pradesh State). Benares is particularly famous for its Benares Ware - decorative brass ware and the related popular tourist destination is the Benares Brass Bazaar. Benares is located in an area naturally rich in copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
- a requisite ingredient of brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
. Benares Brass is highly decorated by engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
, and highly sought after as an antique. Still produced, and available today are new and reproduction wares which may be any combination of embossed, engrave
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
d, enameled or burnished brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
vessels and brass items.
In ancient India, brass oil lamps decorated with Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
inscriptions, Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
icons, women, and swans, were in early usage in Hindu temple
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
s, and households. Guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
s were established in the various trades overseen by Karkhanadars: similar to the journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
and apprentice of trades of European trades and artisans. Karkhanadars were required to train within the caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
, or be subject to being outcasts themselves. The apprentice would need to develop his work for 6 years before achieving full wage and becoming a Karkhandadar. A school has been established in Benares to teach brassware and inevitably the timeless practices of the guilds are being replaced, to keep pace with modern societal demands.