Follow on

Snippets of Information - Crafts


Channapatna toys


* 23 Jul 2025


Channapatna toy
Photo courtesy: Chitra Chandrasekhar
Channapatna toy
Photo courtesy: Lalitha Srinivasan
The story of the Channapatna toys dates back to the 18th century. The toy made its initial journey to the court of Tipu Sultan as a gift from Persia. So impressed was Tipu Sultan of the craftmanship that he invited artisans from Persia to train the local artisans. Each and every toy is carefully handcrafted. Traditionally, the toys are made of ivory-wood but these days one can find toys made of sycamore, cedar, pine, teak and even rubber. Each toy-making process starts from the wood which is then seasoned, cut, carved and lastly coloured. Vegetable dyes are used on these toys so that children can play without any danger from harmful dyes.
Source: Precious Kamei, outlookindia.com, Dec 19 , 2018


While Tipu Sultan may have been the first to promote Channapatna toys, it was local resident Syed Bawa Saheb Miyan, commonly known as Bawas Miyan, who played an equally important role in popularizing these unique crafts and expanding their production. In the early 20th century, Bawas Miyan made two trips to Japan in 1904 and 1909 to learn about lacquer and toy-making techniques. Upon his return, he established a school to train the youth of Channapatna in the art of handicraft making, earning him the nickname of “Master” Bawas Miyan.
Source: craftdeals.in


The primary material for Channapatna toys is the locally sourced Aale Mara, soft ivory wood (Wrightia tinctoria), chosen for its fine grain and smooth texture.
Source: craftdeals.in


The craft has diversified over time; in addition to the traditional ivory-wood, other woods - including rubber, sycamore, cedar, pine and teak are now used as well. Manufacturing stages include procuring the wood, seasoning the wood, cutting the wood into the desired shapes, pruning and carving the toys, applying the colours and finally polishing the finished product. Vegetable dyes are used in the colouring process to ensure that the toys and dolls are safe for use by children.
Source: ramanagara.nic.in


Channapattana is a city and taluk headquarter in Ramanagara District, Karnataka, India and situated at a distance of about 60kms from Bangalore is noted for its famous handmade lacquer wooden toys all over the world and hence popularly known as “Gombegala Ooru” or the “Toy-City” of Karnataka. Channapatna is located between Bangalore - Mysore highway.
Source: ramanagara.nic.in


Channapatna Toys are protected by Geographical Indication (GI) Status Under WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO)
Channapatna toys, traditional wooden treasures hailing from a town 60 Km From Bangalore, Karnataka, received a coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2005.
Source: craftdeals.in