Under the latest and popular online series of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya entitled Exhibit of the Week’ the ‘Kudi’- a metal container for carrying or storing water collected from 1998. The Folk community of Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
It’s Measurement Height - 59 cm., Cir.- 136 cm. displayed in the audience as The Third Exhibit of the month of February, 2021 through official website, Facebook, Instagram and twitter page of the IGRMS.
In this regard DPraveen Kumar Mishra, Director, IGRMS said that Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (National Museum of Mankind), Initially this series will focus on the masterpieces from its collection which are considered as unique for their contribution to the cultural history of a particular ethnic group or area.
The integrity and gracefulness of a cultural object appear to have been heavily influenced by the geographical conditions where the people live. In the desert villages of Rajasthan, where a scant rainfall is evident, the women folk spend half of their daily chores traveling long distances to fetch water for their domestic use. To fulfill this basic need, they use various types of locally manufactured containers in this arid region.
Regarding this object Sudeepa Roy said that Kudi is one such kind of container used for transporting water from a distant source to the house. The body is constructed with a round-shaped belly having a narrow and constricted cylindrical neck extended to a sturdy and chunky mouth.
The exterior part is beautifully woven with perfectly tight strips of animal hide, and this weave-pattern also has a loop-like structure extended on either side of the vessel that serves as the handle.
The provision of these side handles allows two persons to lift and carry the water easily from the source to the destination. Typically, the Lohars (local ironsmiths) prepare this kind of vessel, mainly using iron and leather as raw materials. The heating and continuous hammering technique are used to forge and shape this magnificent piece of an iron vessel.