GULAAL
GOTA - ART & CULTURE
News: Traditional 'Gulal Gota'
preparations begin in Jaipur ahead of Holi
What's
in the news?
●
With Holi set to be celebrated on March
25, in some parts of Rajasthan’s Jaipur, an old tradition will play out where
colours will be thrown through a unique medium called the “Gulaal Gota”.
Gulaal
Gota:
●
It is a small ball made of lac, filled with dry gulaal.
●
Gulaal Gotas are made by Muslim lac makers, called Manihaars, only
in Jaipur.
●
The tradition of using Gulal Gota goes
back to 400 years when the erstwhile Jaipur royal family members would play
Holi with them.
Preparation:
1.
Boiling of Lac in Water:
●
Local artisans explain that crafting
Gulaal Gotas begins with boiling lac in water to soften it.
2.
Mixing of Colours:
●
Once the lac is shaped, color is mixed in,
starting with red, yellow, and green, which can be combined to create
additional colors.
3.
Carved in to Spherical Shape:
●
Once processed, artisans heat the lac and
use a blower called “phunkni” to blow it into spherical shapes.
●
Afterward, the balls are filled with
gulaal and sealed with lac.
Lac
and Gulaal Gota:
●
Lac
is brought from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and the female
scale insect is one of the sources of lac.
●
The lac insects also yield resin, lac dye
and lac wax.