Rose Wood

Rosewood carving has been one of the greatest traditional crafts of Kerala. Rosewood carvings can be seen on a number of temples, doors, windows and ceiling of ancient houses. Today wood carvings can be seen on many items such as show pieces such as Elephant models, Tiger, Deer etc in different poses to suit as paper weight, book ends, lamp stands etc. Decorative furniture is also produced in large quantities. Karnataka and Kerala are famous for the technique of carving of figures in rosewood. This requires the utmost skill since the figure of animal form must maintain its identity when viewed from any angle. The best rosewood carved pieces are finely and realistically sculpted. Rosewood beds are a specialty of Kerala. Thiruvananthapuram and Trichur have skilled artists practicing rose wood carving for generations together. Decorative items such as tiger, camel, elephants, kathakali dancers, Christ, couple dressed in the traditional attire and Buddha are a few rosewood carving products which are in high demand. Kerala's Craftsmen are renowned for making Rosewood Elephants. These Elephants are admired by foreign tourists to Kerala who buy number of them to give them as gifts when they return to their homeland. These Elephants are made in different sizes and in different posses. Some of them with Trunks-up, Trunks-down, fighting each other, Mother elephant with child elephant etc.