The Disappearing Craft of “Likhai”(Wood Carving)

Wood from the Akhrot (Walnut) tree is preferred for carving as it is dense and has a fine grain that is good for making minute designs. On drying it takes on a dark and beautiful colour.

Wood is extracted from old, thick and straight trees, felled and sized for timber. Today, there are only a few walnut trees left in our region. So instead of walnut wood, people now use wood from Surai (Cypress) and Utees (Alder) trees for making doors and windows in their homes.

Photo: Trilok Rana

Until two generations ago, the people of Munsiari would build the door and window frames of their houses with wood from old walnut and taxus trees. Walnut Likhai can still be seen in old homes. It was done by the master craftsmen of the Oar community (also called Shilpkars and designated as Scheduled Caste).

This photograph shows an old traditional home in Martoli, a high altitude village in our valley, which though dilapidated, still has its carved doorframes and windows intact for everyone to admire the beautiful walnut carvings.

Whenever I came across such old homes, I would find myself wondering how much time it must have taken to carve these. In those days there were no electrical tools to make such big and elaborate frames.

Photo: E Theophilus

These are the tools used for carving – chenni, pateshi (both chisels), aari (saw), basula (a cutting tool like a small axe). Most of them are handcrafted by local mechanics quite easily, but they are not available in the market.

Though many homestays in our village are built in the modern style, we are adding wood carved panels in the traditional design onto the existing door and window frames.

Photo: Lalita Waldia

Each homestay chose from a set of traditional Likhai designs for their doorframes. These were then carved on walnut wood by the local artisans undergoing training.

Photo: Malika Virdi

The carved wood panels were then nailed onto the existing frame of doorways. Today, most of our homestay houses have beautiful Likhai carved wood panelling added to their doorways!

Photo: Trilok Rana

With the lockdown, there is no tourism in our village today. Even though likhai was traditionally done by men, women from the homestays also joined to learn how to carve. Many of them are wool artisans so they are artists in their own right. But working with wood has been a once in a lifetime experience for them too.

Photo: Trilok Rana

It took me 10 days to make a mirror frame for myself. When I took this to my home, my wife Indu showed it around to all her friends with great joy. People even offered to buy it from me right away!

But this was my first wood carving and a labour of love. It now occupies a place of pride in my home.

Photo: Rekha Rautela