The home’s interiors are attractive with flowing white
clay walls that seem to merge into their furniture. The
use of intricate motifs that glitter with mirrors renders
an overall dazzling effect. The completely unique art
form makes the homes a visual treat.
Mattikaam is generally done by the women of the
house. It is done for one time and stays forever unless it
is removed manually. .
The artisans of mattikaam are so experienced that they
do not tend to draw any design or pattern on the wall
before starting the work. They divide the area of the into
halves with vertical and horizontal lines. According to
these areal divisions the design is also intutively split
into sections and the lippan kaam is done directly on
the walls of houses. But before doing the mud work on
wall, the wall is given a clay base and the surface is
roughened upon which the mud work is carried away.
MATERIALS for mud mirror work
Initially it was camel dung or wild ass dung used for
preparing the dough that is mixed with clay. Here dung
is the main binding agent of dough. The clay used for
this work is mud that has been sieved thoroughly to
obtain the fine particles which blends easily with the
other particles.
Sometimes millet was used as an alternative to dung
while the dung attracts termites but the husk does not.
This Chikani Matti is from the Talavdi sand of marshland
that is rich in salt content. Though the lippan kaam is
of white color yet now a days the shades of red, green
and blue are painted on the dried clay work.
It is said that the use of Aabhla Mirror is to deflect the
evil eye which can be overpowered by anything that
dazzle and makes it blink.
Bhunga Inside and out