Zommer Chime, Large

A multi-tiered chime with a variety of bell sizes.

The Rann of Kutchch.

A salt desert in northern Gujerat on the west coast of India, that is desert for half the year, and is flooded for the other half. The gypsy tribes who once grazed cattle here, and later settled in villages, still retain their traditional customs and wear their elaborately embroidered and decorated clothes as they go about their daily tasks.

Janmamad Luhar is a traditional bell-maker in this region. He practices a craft that was passed down to him through several generations.

Sheets of recycled steel are beaten, shaped into cylinders and formed into bells, without any welding at the seams. The shaped bells are then dipped into a copper slurry. Women make a dough out of clay to protect the bells during a complex firing process.

Bells are fired in kilns among the desert sand. The steel and copper anneal to form bronze. After the firing, the protective clay is chipped away.

Using age-old techniques and a mallet and an anvil, Janmamad tunes each bell to perfection.

Our About Us page https://indikaimports.com/pages/about has more information and images of the bell-making process.