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Home > Kerala Articles >Aranmula Kannadi Aranmula Kannady – Metal Mirror from Aranmula the Bronze MarvelSituated on the banks of River Pamba in Kerala; Aranmula is a little village in the district of Pathanamthitta, which is well known for its ancient temple dedicated to Lord Sree Krishna as Parthasarathy, the colourful snake boat Regatta and the Aranmula Kannady or Metal Mirror from Aranmula. Mysterious in its creation, unequalled in its beauty, the Aranmula Kannady is a unique object exclusive to Aranmula the peculiarity is that this mirror is made of metal alloy and not glass. There in lies its uniqueness and its creation is a closely guarded secret even today, known only to four families the knowledge has been handed down from father to son for generations. Therein lies its mystery. The metal mirror, a marvel in the annals of metallurgy was in vogue long before appearance of today’s silicon synthetic glass mirror. Records dating back to the sixteenth century show that the metal mirror was in use in far off Egypt and Baghdad. And one of the temples at Khajuraho portrays a woman looking into a metal mirror while applying her bindi. Archaeological excavations at Harappa have also yielded a mirror made of copper with a five inch diameter. The Rigveda also mentions the presence of the metal mirror. The ancestors of this craft could have migrated to South India form the Saptha Sindhu and are descendants of the great masters of the Indus Valley civilization. This metal mirror resembles the glass mirror in every respect and any object placed against it is reflected with complete clarity without any refraction in as much as the image falls just on top of the surface of the metal mirror unlike the glass mirror where the image falls on the mercury coated surface inside the glass. (Technically speaking the Aranmula kannady is a front surface mirror while the traditional glass mirrors are back surface mirrors – front surface mirror does not suffer from refraction of light). An ancient art of bronze casting in the lost wax process in a precise proportion to face you with a crystal surface. This unique craft now rests in just one small family living in a remote village (Aranmula) of south India that traces its origin to a family of master craftsmen, members of a sect of temple architects, sculptures and decorators of medieval Dravidian culture that had the privilege of royal patronage at its peak period. That found its image even the age old cave carvings of khajuraho and the like that had a pride of place at the homes of all elite. Caring for your Mirror Always keep the mirror under room temperature away from heat and dust. Do not touch by fingers on the reflective surface. Finger prints with moisture should be cleaned off immediately preventing corrosion. Cleaning the Mirror Sprinkle red oxide powder, blue or talcum powder on the mirror and hold it in a slant position allowing the dust and other particles rolled off from the reflective surface. Use cotton wool and rub the surface very softly and smoothly in vertical direction. In case of any fungus formation just use few drops of edible oil on the affected portion with the fingers and rub it for one or two minutes and then clean it as mentioned above. The red oxide process of cleaning can be repeated continuously five times or until you get the original reflection. Do not use any other metal polish on the mirror.
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