IvorylikeSholapith Sculptures from India

In the past, collectors have been fascinated with sculptures of
pure white Ivory without knowing the damage it caused to our
eco-system. Luckily governments of a number of nations have
banned Ivory trade altogether.

Craftsmen from eastern India had been crafting beautiful items
of SholaPith (lookalikes of Ivory) since ages. It is only
recently that Sholapith items have got international recognition
for its beauty, eco-friendliness and superb craftsmanship. Shola
pith is a milky-white sponge-wood that is carved into delicate
and beautiful objects of art only in a few states of India.
Shola is a plant, growing in marshy waterlogged areas of eastern
Indian States commonly referred to as eastern marshy Gangetic
plains. It is unbelievable that this plant grows nowhere else in
the world. The biological name of Shola is Aeschynomene Indica
and it is an herbaceous plant. The Sholapith is the cortex or
core of this plant. 

The finest examples of craftsmanship are seen on images of gods
and goddesses on festivals, especially the massive decorative
backdrops made for "Durga-Puja" celebrations. Thousands of
craftsmen spend months working on each piece and every details
is meticulously worked out.The color of Shola is pure white and
beautiful IVORY look alike sculptures have started decorating
Western homes in Europe and America very recently. The shola
crafts have flowery designs, decorative head-wears of gods and
goddesses, garlands etc. You also find exquisite figurines like
faces of gods and goddesses, elephants, peacock-boats,
palanquins, wall hangings and a number of home decorations made
of sholapith.

Needless to say, the items are appealing, they are completely
natural and the beautiful craftsmanship brings a pure white
ethnic aura at your home.

Where to find these fine Pith Sculptures

Ethnocraft: http://www.ethnocraft.com has some of these fine
Sholapith items you could easily order over the web.

Dollsof India: dollsofindia.com is another site where you find
deities and idols made of Sholapith.

More Resources on Sholapith
http://www.india-crafts.com/indian_states_crafts/westbengal.html:
 A variety of home decoration crafts from India are pictured
here including Sholapith.

Handicrafts Expo:
http://www.westbengal.com/arts/handcraf/expo/pg2.html

Bengal Handicrafts: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/3924