Tarakasi: The Silver Filigree of Cuttack
Cuttack Rupa Tarakasi is a silver filigree craft from Cuttack, Odisha, India, recognised with a Geographical Indication (GI) tag on 15 March 2024. This digital exhibition covers its history, the making process, wire motifs, objects and forms, its role in Odissi dance ornament and Cuttack's Durga Puja, and the challenges the craft faces today. Every factual claim is cited to one of six public sources.
Highlights
- Tarakasi jewellery forms the traditional ornament set of Odissi dance costume, worn from head to waist.
- It is central to Cuttack's Durga Puja, most visibly in the silver backdrops known as Chandi Medha that frame the goddess's idol.
- In India, GI registration is administered by DPIIT under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999; protection lasts ten years once registered.