Rosewood Inlay Game Table

The inlay tradition of Karnataka is largely concentrated in Mysuru, some of the best examples of which may be seen at Gumbaz at Srirangapatna. The doors of the Amba vilas palace in Mysuru too have fine inlay work.

The technique of this work is, a paper tracing of the design is pasted on a card board and the templates which are cut by chisel are placed on the selected plank and the outline traced and cut by a bow saw, the marked position on the main background is scooped and the pieces fixed with glue to form the design. The excess layer of glue and wood is flattened using sand paper and a fine coat of colourless polish is applied.

The designers at RKP have used the traditional inlay technique with geometric floral patterns to create the above table with Aligulimane or Mancala pits.

Design : R.G. Singh, RKP

Crafts person : Ismail, Mysuru

This panel depicting HH Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar playing navagraha pagade aata with his consort has been created using the marquetry technique, which is a recent development to this craft tradition.

Design : Kamalesh, Bengaluru

Crafts person : R. Puttaraju, Mysuru