Moosaris of Kunhimangalam - Documentary - Jagath Narayanan

In ancient times, Moosaris or bell-metal workers who were among the Kammalar community were considered divine creators. They mould more than 700 years of traditions and heritage with their creativity and technique to cast magnificent idols of deities, lamps, divine articles, and sculptures in metals. In the quaint little town of Kunhimangalam in the Kannur district of Kerala, the livelihood of close to a hundred families belonging to the Moosari community rests on the bell metal craft. Around 100 craftsman families belonging to the Moosari community were into this craft. However, now there were only a handful of artisans, around 20, despite the work getting great recognition around the world. Today, these few artisans in the state remain to carry forward the legacy of the craft. This project aims to study and document the culture, lifestyle, oral history, craftsmanship and their approach to transfering the knowledge to future generations in the form of a video documentary.