Through the countless trips to the town of Mysore and further on our trips to Ooty, to Wayanad and Kabini and Coorg, we have always enjoyed the stretch of the Bangalore – Mysore highway that crosses along the town of Channapatna. As we cross the welcoming board saying ” Welcome to the land of toys – Channapatna”. Immediately our eyes get glued to the beautiful and vibrant wooden toys lined in front of all the shops along the road.
Sometimes we even stopped on our way to buy some of these unique toys and crafts for ourselves and our kids. But, it was only this month finally that I embarked on the true journey exploring the legendary Channapatna toys. When we made a trip specifically to Channapatna. Today, let me take you along with me on this journey today.
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What are Channapatna Toys and why are Channapatna Toys famous?
Channapatna Toys are the toys made in Channapatna town of Karnataka, India. Some large factories in Channapatna produce these toys on large scale. While there are many other households in Channapatna. Which have been making these toys since generations.
More than volume or quantity, what makes the Channpatna toys unique is the way they are manufactured. As most of these toys are handmade. And also painted in organic colors extracted from vegetables and plants and natural dyes. So, this makes the Channapatna Toys 100% chemical free. They are made of Ivory Wood, sandal wood and mango wood. And they never have sharp edges. Thus they are completely safe for kids.
In fact, when I myself bought my first Channapatna Toy, I didn’t realise about the depth of culture and the thoughtfulness that goes beyond each one of the Channapatna Toys. Now, after witnessing the making of the Channapatna Toys at the hands of the artisans in one of the factories, I can fully comprehend what sets them apart from the rest of the toys in the world.
Origin of the Channapatna Toys
The historic ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan, started the making of wooden toys to the current town of Channapatna. Tipu Sultan is widely known as an admirer of art, particularly wooden artwork. He invited artists from Persia to train the local artists in the wooden toy making. And then helped thrive this industry locally. Also, afterwards, a man named “Bavas Miyan” introduced doll making as a part of Channapatna Toys. His dolls were inspired by Japanese dolls. And till date you can see these dolls occupying prominent space on the shelves of Channapatna shops.
Ever since the Channapatna toys were introduced by Tipu Sultan, generation after generation the art has been passed on by families. And majorly it has remained a household industry. As you walk through the town of Channapatna, you will see most of the houses equipped with producing the toys at small scale. And some have their factories as well.
A Channapatna Toy Making Factory walkthrough
Most of the factories in Channapatna are more than happy to give customers a walkthrough of the complete process of toy making. As you watch the making of these toys, it definitely makes you appreciate the art better. Some charge a nominal fee for the tours while others provide it for free. We are thankful to Bharat Arts & Crafts who were happy to provide us a walkthrough of the factory without any charges. Let us quickly take you through the process of the Channapatna Toys making with us.
First the logs of Ivory Wood are obtained. They are mostly allocated to artisans and factories from government. Now a days, sandal wood, rose wood and mango wood are also used for the craft. But the best results are obtained from Ivory wood. As they are soft and easily moulded.
The next step involves cutting of the wood in required measurements. In the ancient times the cutting was also done by hand. But now a days machines are used.
Next, the artisan sand the wood to make it’s surface as smooth as possible.
After this, artist works on the smooth cut log to give it the particular shape that will become one of the world famous Channapatna toys – a doll, a bobble head, a top or a train etc etc. Some still do it manually while in factories they have machines to do it. The next step is then to fit the different parts of the doll or toys together.
Finally the completed bobble head is coloured. For this , the artists prepare organic colors from vegetable dyes or spices like turmeric and apply them to the toy.
And this is how a Channapatna Toy gets ready!!
How to book a tour of Channapatna Toy Factory ?
Many factories like Bharat Art & Crafts in Channapatna are always more than happy to give you a tour of the Channapatna Toy making process. You can call them in advance and confirm the time and date of visit. Walk-ins are also welcome. Most of these factories are operational all through the week except for Sunday and national holidays. And they operate 10:00am to 5:00pm. We ourselves visited the Bharat Art & Crafts factory on Saturday afternoon.
They also take up custom wood furniture and craft making. And can make specific toys as per your interest. Find below in the image the contact details for Bharat Art & Crafts. Recently, they have shifted their factory to Channapatna Craft park.
Buying Channapatna Toys
If you are wondering where to buy toys in Channapatna for authenticity reasons, then there are several outlets inside the town of Channapatna. And some along the Bangalore – Mysore highway that contain authentic Channapatna toys. You can buy the Channapatna toys from any of these outlets.
Bharat Art & Crafts, Sri Kauvery arts and crafts Emporium, Dolls of Channapatna are a few prominent ones. In fact, Sri Kauvery arts and crafts Emporium is located right on NH275 – the Bangalore Mysore highway. While Bharat Art & Crafts outlet is located inside the town, just 250m from the highway.
There are certain outlets in Bangalore, including the Cauvery Emporium and some others which sell Channapatna toys. You can ask them to show GI tag to establish authenticity. So, if you are wondering – can I buy Channapatna toys in Bangalore – answer is yes.
The Channapatna toys are also available online on websites like Amazon.com and Flipkart.com. Click here to browse through the list of Channapatna toys available on amazon.com.
Other places to buy Channapatna toys
On my past few trips in South India, I have observed small counters of Channapatna Toys being opened at several food and refreshment outlets alongside the highways. Which is a great initiative. I visited some such stores on my recent trips. When we were returning from Mysore to Bangalore, on NH44 at A2B outlet, there was a big store of Channapatna Toys.
Again, when returning from Pondicherry to Bangalore, we visited a similar store where we stopped for lunch. And I have seen some in the malls in Bangalore as well. It is really good to see the accessibility of Channapatna toys increasing over time.
How to plan a trip to Channapatna ?
You can visit Channapatna on a day trip from Bangalore or Mysore or any other nearby towns. Either you can book a cab or you can self drive. We drove down from Bangalore to Channapatna on our recent trip here. We started from our home around 6:45 am in the morning. First we stopped for a breakfast at A2B (Aadyar Anand Bhavan), around 8:30am. And then we first stopped to explore Janapada Loka Museum, in Ramanagara District. From here, we first had lunch at the Domaine Sula Vineyard. And then went ahead to the Channapatna Art and Craft Park. Where many of the toy making factories have recently shifted. Here we did a tour of Channapatna toy factory. And then later visited their store and other stores for some Channapatna toys shopping. You can also add other places of interest nearby to your trip.
Other places to visit near Channapatna
- The famous locations of filming of “Sholey” movie are just 15km from Channapatna, in the Ramanagara district
- Ramdevara Betta Vulture Sanctuary is another major attraction in Ramanagara District, very near to the above location. And you can visit it on the same trip.
- Just 10km before the town of Channapatna is the Janapada Loka Art and Rural Heritage museum, right on the highway. A museum with beautiful depiction of the rural life and folk art and dance forms of Karnataka from yesteryears. Here’s our detailed post on Janapada Loka. It makes for a great cultural trip for kids and adults alike.
- Almost 30km ahead of Channapatna, 3km inside from the main highway is a beautiful vineyard along with a nice restaurant – Domaine Sula. A vineyard tour comes at INR 500/- per head here which includes 4 types of wine tasting as well. You can as well include it in your trip.
Definitely it’s not possible to cover all of the above places along with Channapatna Toy Factory tour and Channapatna toys market in one day. Either you can make it a two days trip. In that case, you can stay in one of the numerous resorts and homestays in Ramanagara district. Or, you can split it over two day trips like we did. For now we have completed only one day trip in which we covered Janapada Loka, Channapatna Toy Factory visit and Channapata Toys shop exploring and a lunch at Domaine Sula Vineyard. In the next trip we plan to do a vineyard tour and cover Ramanagara places to visit.
Where to stay near Channapatna ?
The advantage of splitting it over two different trips is that you can stay in Bangalore or Mysore where you have numerous stay options. You can use this link on booking.com to book an accommodation in Bangalore. Or, use this link to book a hotel in Mysore. You can also book an accommodation in Mandya district using this link.
Steps by Government of India to encourage Channapatna Toys
The Channapatna Toys GI Tag
The Geographical Indications Registry has granted GI certificate to Channapatna Toys. This means only the original artists from Channapatna and their further generations can authentically produce these wooden toys. This is done to protect the interest of the artists. The GI tag is one step towards ensuring the tradition of age old Channapatna toys remains alive.
The shop that we stopped at near Janapadaloka to look at Channapatna toys – they had half the chinese toys and rest half authentic Channapatna Toys. Obviously a Channapatna toy is more costly given the unique way it is produced and its quality. Now, most of the tourist who are unaware of the authenticity and don’t care much end up buying the cheaper imported toys than the Channapatna Toys.
refer for more details : https://search.ipindia.gov.in/GIRPublic/Application/Details/23
One Station One Product
Recently government launched a “One Station One Product” scheme as a part of the Union Budget 2022-2023. As a part of this, the Channapatna Toys will now be available at Benagaluru Railway Station for purchase. These toys will also bear the GI tag of authenticity. If successful, slowly this scheme will expand to other Railway Stations across Bangalore and Goa as well. I really hope this helps the artisans in thriving this art.
Channapatna Craft Park
Recently, government has opened the Channapatna Craft Park right outside the town of Channapatna. It provides a dedicated space for exporters engaged in toy export and other wood and handicraft work. Wherein they can setup their factories for faster production. It will employ more artisans and also help them create more and varied wooden toys and crafts. Certain factory outlets like the Bharat Art & Crafts have moved inside this Channapatna Craft Park where they will have ample space to expand.
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