Make Art Not War – Dhaal & Talwar Engraving With Vishnu Kumar Lohar

Dhaal & Talwar (or Shield & Sword) engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, metal surface. The following result is a curved, decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved. Amidst the Thar Desert is the city Jodhpur where Master artist Vishnu Kumar Parihar practices his art to preserve and spread this handmade art which is his family legacy.

Engraving is one of the oldest and most important techniques in printmaking. In this case, the artist uses it to make beautiful shields and swords as artefacts. In most princely and royal Indian households, you would find Dhaal & Talwar as decorations and wall hangings.

Did you know? Leather shields were made from a great variety of animals found in the Indian subcontinent. The hide shields were made from either water buffalo, sambar deer, Indian elephant, or Indian rhinoceros. The rhinoceros shields were the most prized variant among leather shields.

Vishnu Kumar Parihar uses the techniques of engraving to carve the beauty out of traditional weapons like shields and swords. A family legacy of more than 250 years, he has been practising this art for at least 25 years. He firmly believes in the unique beauty of hand-made art and makes every piece himself without using any machine. He has been the recipient of the State Award many recognitions from the Royal Family twice. 

Take an experiential & historical trip to Vishnu Kumar Parihar’s studio to be inspired whilst conserving the heritage art. Listen, observe and be mystified in creating your souvenir and taking home memories for life. 

EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

• Be enveloped in a historical experience of Dhaal & Talwar
• Get a live demonstration of the entire process 
• One-on-one conversations with the award-winning artist
• Co-create a cherished memory 
• Take home a little piece of Jodhpur with you
• Be assisted by Rajasthan Studio team
• Small Group Sizes
• Sanitised Studio