Attractive items made of Palm Leaf are very popular among handicrafts and in South India, these are made mostly in Southern Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The large size Palm Leaf which is used for making the products is extracted from a Palm Tree and it has a shade of ivory color. These leaves upon collection, are dried under the sunlight for 2 to 3 days.
Each leaf is further split into 3 or 4 leaves with the help of a splitting tool, which is usually a sharp knife on a wooden stand. These leaves are further dyed,based on the design and other requirements. The leaves are again dried under sun after the process of dyeing and desired products are finally made out of it. Palm leaves are used widely for making baskets, boxes, trays, stationary items and assorted items like laundry bins, purses, coaster, rattle, toy box, agarbathi box, bottle holder etc. Several rural communities are engaged in the art of making highly attractive and artistic items out of Palm Leaves. These are also used to make small boxes, where miniature kitchen kits and toys are placed, for children to play with.
Kalamkari Prints