About Sawantwadi Wooden Toys Market

Sawantwadi is famous for its art and culture, popularly known for Ganjifa playing cards and wooden toys made from mango tree. The craft is traditionally done by the Chitari or Chitrakar community recognized by the king. These communities migrated from Karwada and settled in Sawantwadi. These families survived mainly by supplying handicrafts items to the royal families. Later other communities also adopted this craft because of its commercial success. Queen Satwasheela Devi continues the tradition even today, where many of the families are involved in Ganjifa cards and wooden toys making.  The toys are made by assembling flat shaped solid wood. Seasoned mango wood is chiseled or carved into desired toy shape. The cutout pieces are finished on a sander, painted and assembled.

Raw Material - Basic raw material used to make Sawantwadi wooden toys is Mango wood used for showpieces and the toys like bullock carts and rocking horses are made of Shivani wood. The wood has strength and durable processed from sawmill and cut into basic required size of wood blocks.

Coloring - The wooden toys are painted with vibrant colors to make them look attractive. Earlier craftsmen used natural colors extracted from fruits and vegetables and now it has opted to oil based colors as vegetable colors.

Assembling - The painted articles are assembled together in one piece of toy. The different parts of the toys are joined and assembled together. The parts are nailed with each other with the help of small iron nails. Fixing of toys is done manually. This process is done by experienced craftsmen as they have to assemble the pieces and the mechanical parts of the toy. Some toys are fixed with plastic wheels and other such accessories to the toys. It takes at least two to three days to finish a medium sized toy and fifteen to twenty days to complete 100 pieces of such toys. All the steps are done manually except sanding and drilling.

Video Credits: Dsource Ekalp India