Artisan Alakesh Das preserves traditional Assamese jewellery making through Ramesh Jewellers, a family craft business founded by his father. He specialises in handcrafted gold ornaments such as Thoka, Keru, Dhol, and Maduli, along with silver sculptures.
Alakesh Das, an artisan from Ghoramara Hati, Barpeta, preserves traditional Assamese jewellery making through Ramesh Jewellers, a business founded by his father. He crafts custom gold ornaments like Thoka, Keru, Dhol, and Maduli, alongside silver sculptures. Supported by the government, he showcases his craft across India and Nepal.
Traditional Assamese jewellery craft (Kecha Sonar Gahana) features handcrafted gold and silver ornaments inspired by local flora and fauna. Artisans use pure gold foil over silver frames, joined with traditional soldering and embellished with vibrant Mina enamel and colorful gemstones, keeping centuries of cultural heritage alive.
Barpeta serves as a vibrant craft cluster in Lower Assam, renowned for hand-forged brass metalwork in Sarthebari, traditional gold jewellery making, and indigenous fireworks. Deeply tied to Vaishnavite Satra culture, the region excels in community-based heritage crafts, including intricate woodcarvings and mask-making.
Assamese jewellery features distinct nature-inspired items made with pure gold foiling (Kecha Sona) and vibrant Mina enamel. Key products include drum-shaped Dholbiri and crescent Jonbiri necklaces, floral Keru and pigeon-motif Lokaparo earrings, forehead-placed Kopali, and broad Gam-Kharu wrist cuffs, heavily worn during Bihu and weddings.
Originating from gold-washing in Himalayan rivers by the Sonowal Kacharis, Assamese jewellery flourished under Ahom kings as royal adornment. Transformed during the 16th-century Neo-Vaishnavite movement by artisans like Hari Das Baniya in Barpeta, this heritage craft continues through generations, capturing native flora and culture in gold and enamel.
Contact : +91-9954780363
Email: alakeshdas0331@gmail.com
