Vijayawada: Kondapalli toys are those popular wooden toys made in Kondapalli of Krishna district, a village near Vijayawada city. Eight years back, these toys were on the endangered list, and now they have become one of the top selling handicrafts in India. Wholesale, retail and online business are supporting the Kondapalli Craft makers, directly or indirectly.
An artisan is giving final touches to Kondapalli toys near Vijayawada on Monday. (Photo: DC)
The Kondapalli toys are made from softwood known as Tella Poniki (White Poniki) which is found in the nearby Kondapalli Hills. The wood is first carved and then the edges are smoothened and finished.
The finished product is then coloured with either oil paints or water-colours or vegetable dye. The toys, which are of export quality, are sold within India and enamel paints are applied to the toys for special occasions. Two sets of Kondapalli toys are most prominent.
Different parts of the image are carved separately. They are then glued together with an adhesive made of crushed tamarind seeds. The toys depict scenes from mythology, animals, birds, bullock carts, rural life and the most notable ones are Dasavataram, Ambari elephants, dancing dolls. Soldiers and pen stands are a collector’s delight.
Along with the development of their culture, the artisans polished and developed their work standards and attracted the world. Now the people prefer the Kondapalli toy to any other. Many companies sell Konda-palli toys .
Lepakshi, the state government enterprise and many online companies like Amazon, Rainbow art gallery, My State Bazar, Vikud.com and many online sales companies started by young people and students are also supporting the sale of Kondapalli toys.
Business is flourishing and has reached Rs 8 lakh - Rs 10 lakh a month. “The business of the Kondapalli toys have increased now, as they are maintaining the quality. In Amaravati, Kondapalli toys are a prestigious gift in almost all the government programmes like foreign delegate meetings etc. Only through Lepakshi crafts showroom, the sale of the Kondapalli toys is about Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh per month. It’s a great achievement. The online portals’ support is also a good sign,” said I.V Laksminath, GM, Lappakshi Crafts.
