The craftspersons of Bidar became famous for 'Bidriware', a metal craft in which a blackened alloy is inlaid with:

The craftspersons of Bidar, in Karnataka, became famous for "Bidriware", a metal craft in which objects made of a blackened alloy of zinc and copper are inlaid with silver (and sometimes copper or brass, and rarely gold).

About Bidriware:

• It originated in Bidar in the 14th-15th century, during the rule of the Bahmani Sultans.
• It is believed to have been influenced by Persian metalwork, brought by craftsmen from Persia.
• The base metal is an alloy of zinc (about 90 percent or more) and copper.

How it is made:

• The object (such as a vase, box, bowl or hookah base) is cast in the zinc-copper alloy.
• Designs are engraved on the surface with a chisel.
• Fine silver wire or sheet is hammered into the engraved grooves (inlay).
• The object is then polished.
• Finally, it is treated with a paste of mud (containing ammonium chloride) from the old Bidar fort, which turns the base metal deep black, while the silver inlay remains bright.
• The special soil of the Bidar fort, which is said to have particular oxidising qualities, is believed to be important for this process.

Designs:

Typical designs include floral patterns, vines, geometric shapes, Persian motifs and calligraphy.

Recognition:

• Bidriware received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2006.
• It is also produced in Hyderabad and Lucknow.

NCERT on crafts:

NCERT notes that the Deccan Sultanates and their cities were important centres of crafts, which were valued in India and abroad.

Other metal crafts of India:

• Dhokra: lost-wax metal casting by tribal communities of central and eastern India.
• Aranmula kannadi: a metal mirror from Kerala.
• Thewa: gold work on glass from Pratapgarh, Rajasthan.

About Bidar:

It was the capital of the Bahmani Sultanate and later of the Barid Shahi Sultanate.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Ivory, coloured glass and precious stones are not used in Bidriware.