Sholapith
Encyclopedia
Sholapith or Shola Pith (also referred to as shola and Indian cork) is a dried milky-white spongy plant matter which can be pressed and shaped into delicate and beautiful objects of art.
Shola grows wild in marshy waterlogged areas. The biological name of shola is Aeschynomene indica or Aeschynomene aspera (bean family). It is an herbaceous plant, which grows particularly in the marshy areas of Bengal, Assam, Orissa and the Deccan. The sholapith is the cortex or core of the plant and is about 1 ½ inch in diameter.
Traditionally sholapith products were used in decorating Hindu idols and in creating the headgears
of brides and grooms for a traditional Bengali wedding
. In more recent times, sholapith handicrafts have found a wider application in home décor, as artistic objects.
Almost similar to thermocol
, which is artificially produced, sholapith is much superior to thermocol in terms of malleability, texture, lustre and sponginess.
this craft is mainly practised in the districts of Bardhaman
, Murshidabad
, Birbhum
, Nadia
, Hooghly
and some other parts of this state. The people engaged as sholapith craftsmen are known as ‘Malakar’, meaning “maker of garland”, probably because they made garlands made of shola for idols and for the noble class. About 5,000 artisans are involved in this craft. Craftsmen spend several months on a piece to meticulously curve out the details. In Murshidabad the shola crafts are flowery designs, decorative head-wears of gods and goddesses, garlands, exquisite figurines like faces of gods and goddesses, elephant-howdahs, peacock-boats, palanquins and so on are made of sholapith.
The idol makers of Kumortuli
who traditionally produced clay idols have taken to making idols of sholapith and fibreglass. While the fibreglass ones can cost around Rs 110,000-120,000, those prepared from sholapith cost Rs 90,000. The height of the idols can vary from four to nine feet. These are mostly meant for Indian community puja organizers abroad.
, also known as the sun helmet, topee, shola topee, salacot or topi, is a lightweight helmet made of shola pith, with a cloth cover and a particular design and thickness designed to shade and insulate the wearer’s head from the sun. It was formerly much worn by Westerners in India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, Irak, Transjordan, Palestine, Sri Lanka and other tropical & subtropical British colonies until the late 1960s. Later this style of hat became associated with colonial oppression and was slowly abandoned by the military, government, traffic police..etc. The Shola style pith helmet
usually has a flattened top and thick brim with either square or rounded edges. It is easily confused with other styles of "pith helmets" that were manufactured outside India and which are usually made from cork
or other materials.Some shola style pith helmets feature a criss cross quilt stitched cloth cover. The latter had more rounded edges at the brim. The cork style pith helmets, contrary to their misleading name, are not made out of pith, they are much thinner, heavier and more rounded on the top.
Both syle hats feature puggarees, air vents, khaki
or white cover, and green inner brim liner. Some have chin strips from leather, in others they are made of cloth. Some Shola style pith helmet
s feature a thin leather belt that runs from under the puggaree aross the top. The chin strap commonly runs across the front brim.
Shola style pith helmets are still being sold in Indian, Pakistani and Nepali Polo
equipment stores though they are seldom used in actual polo matches.
Shola grows wild in marshy waterlogged areas. The biological name of shola is Aeschynomene indica or Aeschynomene aspera (bean family). It is an herbaceous plant, which grows particularly in the marshy areas of Bengal, Assam, Orissa and the Deccan. The sholapith is the cortex or core of the plant and is about 1 ½ inch in diameter.
Traditionally sholapith products were used in decorating Hindu idols and in creating the headgears
Topor (headgear)
A topor is a type of conical headgear traditionally worn by grooms as part of the Bengali Hindu wedding ceremony. The topor is typically fragile, made of sholapith and white in colour....
of brides and grooms for a traditional Bengali wedding
Bengali Hindu wedding
-Arranging the wedding:A traditional wedding is arranged by Ghotoks , who are generally friends or relatives of the couple. The matchmakers facilitate the introduction, and also help agree the amount of any settlement....
. In more recent times, sholapith handicrafts have found a wider application in home décor, as artistic objects.
Almost similar to thermocol
Polystyrene
Polystyrene ) also known as Thermocole, abbreviated following ISO Standard PS, is an aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry...
, which is artificially produced, sholapith is much superior to thermocol in terms of malleability, texture, lustre and sponginess.
West Bengal craft
In West BengalWest Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
this craft is mainly practised in the districts of Bardhaman
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...
, Murshidabad
Murshidabad district
Murshidabad district is a district of West Bengal in eastern India. Situated on the left bank of the river Ganges, the district is very fertile. Covering an area of 5,341 km² and having a population 5.863m it is a densely populated district and the ninth most populous in India...
, Birbhum
Birbhum district
Birbhum district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the three administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is located at Suri...
, Nadia
Nadia District
Nadia district is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of India. It borders with Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Bardhaman district to the west, and Murshidabad district to the north....
, Hooghly
Hooghly District
Hooghly district is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal in India. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.The headquarters of the district are at Chinsura...
and some other parts of this state. The people engaged as sholapith craftsmen are known as ‘Malakar’, meaning “maker of garland”, probably because they made garlands made of shola for idols and for the noble class. About 5,000 artisans are involved in this craft. Craftsmen spend several months on a piece to meticulously curve out the details. In Murshidabad the shola crafts are flowery designs, decorative head-wears of gods and goddesses, garlands, exquisite figurines like faces of gods and goddesses, elephant-howdahs, peacock-boats, palanquins and so on are made of sholapith.
The idol makers of Kumortuli
Kumortuli
Kumortuli is a traditionally potters’ quarter in northern Kolkata , the capital of the east Indian state of West Bengal. By virtue of their artistic productions these potters have moved from obscurity to prominence...
who traditionally produced clay idols have taken to making idols of sholapith and fibreglass. While the fibreglass ones can cost around Rs 110,000-120,000, those prepared from sholapith cost Rs 90,000. The height of the idols can vary from four to nine feet. These are mostly meant for Indian community puja organizers abroad.
Shola pith helmet
The shola (sola) style pith helmetPith helmet
The pith helmet is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith...
, also known as the sun helmet, topee, shola topee, salacot or topi, is a lightweight helmet made of shola pith, with a cloth cover and a particular design and thickness designed to shade and insulate the wearer’s head from the sun. It was formerly much worn by Westerners in India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, Irak, Transjordan, Palestine, Sri Lanka and other tropical & subtropical British colonies until the late 1960s. Later this style of hat became associated with colonial oppression and was slowly abandoned by the military, government, traffic police..etc. The Shola style pith helmet
Pith helmet
The pith helmet is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith...
usually has a flattened top and thick brim with either square or rounded edges. It is easily confused with other styles of "pith helmets" that were manufactured outside India and which are usually made from cork
Cork (material)
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
or other materials.Some shola style pith helmets feature a criss cross quilt stitched cloth cover. The latter had more rounded edges at the brim. The cork style pith helmets, contrary to their misleading name, are not made out of pith, they are much thinner, heavier and more rounded on the top.
Both syle hats feature puggarees, air vents, khaki
Khaki
This article is about the fabric. For the color, see Khaki . Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki".Khaki is a type of fabric or the color of such fabric...
or white cover, and green inner brim liner. Some have chin strips from leather, in others they are made of cloth. Some Shola style pith helmet
Pith helmet
The pith helmet is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith...
s feature a thin leather belt that runs from under the puggaree aross the top. The chin strap commonly runs across the front brim.
Shola style pith helmets are still being sold in Indian, Pakistani and Nepali Polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
equipment stores though they are seldom used in actual polo matches.