Chettiar Crafts: Athangudi Tiles

Athangudi tiles are handmade tiles which are used to decorate the interiors of the houses.

They have a distinct geometric design and come in different sizes and shapes.

The standard colours used are red, mustard, green and grey.

Their manufacturing process is unique and involves the use of local soil.

To start with, a metal stencil of a desired design (floral or geometric pattern) is prepared within a metal frame with handles.

The frame is placed on a glass plate of the same size as the tile. The sheet of glass is cut to tile size.

Next, a cement mixture is prepared.

Bright colours are added to the cement mixture.

An artisan prepares coloured cement mixture.

A mixture of cement and coloured oxide, in a liquid slurry state, is individually poured into patterned moulds upon a glass piece.

A cement mixture of a different colour is ladled into the desired compartments of the template.

After a few minutes of setting, the frame is whisked out, leaving a colourful pattern on the glass.

A thin layer of local sand is then laid, and the tile is filled with three-fourth inch thickness of cement, sand and small stone aggregates.

A layer of dry sand is put on the wet cement.

The artisan neatly takes off the excess sand from the frame.

The frame is then packed with cement mortar.

A recent innovation is the free-hand design, which the artisan makes without using a template.

The process followed to create tiles with free-hand designs remains the same as for the template-based tiles.

The artisans uses hand tools to draw a free-hand design.

This photo shows the artisan's version of a contemporary innovative design.

Freshly made tiles are left out to dry in the sun.

These tiles are stacked and kept in a bath of water for eight to twelve days. They are then removed and allowed to dry for 24 hours, so as to make the tiles compact.

Cured tiles with glass that are yet to be removed.

Finished tiles are dried by laying husk over them to soak excess moisture.

The innate oils from the husk impart a lovely sheen onto the tiles.

A traditional Athangudi tile design is often a composition of tiles used together.

An artisan demonstrates how a pattern is made by combining different tiles.

Read more about the Chettiar crafts here:
- Chettiar Heritage
- Kottan Baskets