Aranmula- Mirror popularly known as Aranmulakkannadi is the unique metal-alloy craft work of Aranmula, a village in the Pathanamthitta
district of Kerala, India. Literally the word Aranmulakkannadi is the combination of two Malayalam words ‘Aranmula’ (Place) and ‘Kannadi’ (Mirror). Aranmulakkannadi is the front surface reflection mirror, which
eliminates secondary reflections and aberrations typical of back surface
mirrors unlike the ordinary glass mirrors.
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| Ashtamagalayam Set |
It
is believed that Aranmulakkannadi bringing
prosperity, luck and wealth to home;
so it is considered among the eight
auspicious items included in the Ashtamagalayam
set, which commonly used for the auspicious function like marriage and other festive events like Onam, Vishu etc.
The manufacturing process of Aranmulakkannadi has been started in the early 17th
century; and the origin of the mirror has linked with the Aranmula Parthasaradhi Temple of Lord Krishna. One lively story regarding the origin of the Aranmula metal mirror is that the Raja
of Aranmula had threatened to evict
few bronze craftsmen who are said to have migrated from Tamilnadu to make
artifacts for the Parthasaradhi Temple.
In an interesting twist, it was a widow, Parvati
Ammal, who came to their rescue as she dreamed that Lord Parthasaradhi (or) Krishna had revealed
the secret of making an unusual reflecting metal. Not only was the Raja
placated by a crown made of this material, but he also exhorted the artisans to
make, from this alloy dreamt up by the widow, the Vaalkannadi (or) mirror for the auspicious Ashtamangalyam. A large old metal mirror is also installed in a subsidiary
shrine in a Bhagavati temple complex
in Eranakulam; where it is worshiped as a form of the goddess.
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| Vaalkannadi |
Aranmulakkannadi is famous for its
secretive construction method and uniqueness in the make which get patent
protected with a Geographical Indication Tag. The
exact metals used in the alloy are unknown to people and is maintained as the heriditorial
secret of the Viswakarma community of
the Aranmula village. However metallurgists believe that the alloy of this
mirror would be the mixture of molten
tin and copper in a
particular ratio.
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