mud art of Kutch

Lippan kam or mud-mirror work

Lippan (roughly translated-mud washing in Gujarati language and the spelling should be lipan)

kam (is work in Hindi and Gujarati)

Lippan kam is a decorative art done by common people mainly women.

Lippan kam is done inside bhungas/mud huts in villages of Kutch, Gujarat.

Lippan kam is generally done inside the house but sometimes you can find it on outer walls too.

Generally harijan and Rabari women make birds, trees, animals, peacock, human figures etc in lippan kam.

It is done with a mixture of clay and camel dung. Now gum is used to stick mirrors.

Originality of lippan kam lies in  adding no colour or only whites.(You may get few pieces of very colourful mud-mirror work in export houses online; exotic pieces but I won’t call it lippan kam!)

Small round, diamond-shaped or tringle  mirror pieces are essential to lippan kam. Many a times mirror pieces are a little embroidered.

It is simple technique, anyone can do it.

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Can you see slightly raised mud lines-spread with hands.

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You just need to use the thumb with two fingers! ?

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See the embroidered mirror here ?

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I just love-love lippan kam.

All of you  who go to Kutch, don’t forget to take photos of lippan kam (and don’t forget to send me all images!!).

(Not all photos are of good quality but I had to put all)

(images courtesy Llnosom on flickr, panjo kutch, hodka villages, travelblog, baps care, indi studio, my cuttings)

76 thoughts on “mud art of Kutch”

  1. Hi
    I am very much interested in learning lipan kam.

    please let me know the lady Vrushali Thacker’s no so i can call up and attend a workshop
    I live in bangalore, am a housewife. I paint whenever possible and would love to learn the mud mirror work of kutch
    thanks

    Runjhun Kejriwal

  2. Hi, love d Lipan kaam. would love know if there’s anybody teaching it in pune??????? please let me know fast

  3. please send me the number of Vrushali Thacker in Borivali as i need to contact her for my home decor.
    please do the needful as soon as possible
    thank you

  4. Need contact no for someone who teaches lipaan work in mumbai… Ms vrushali Thakkers no. not going through has the no changed If nyone can help.. Urgent need to do a project for charity

  5. In continuation with my last comment… I shall also include lipna ( with mirror) inside the bhunga, complete with mud shelves and all such stuff.

  6. I am extremely interested to put up a bhunga in a rural area of West bengal. Shall be grateful, if you please suggest ways to go about it. Shall also like to know the budget for 400 Sq ft carpet area.

  7. hey this is monika from nift ..i was thinkin to move this craft away from wall and take it to home products…plz send me any suggestion or comments if u think this can just work out…Thank u 🙂

  8. @Shaila,

    Thrs a lady called Vrushali Thacker in Borivali who takes Lipan Kam Workshop. U cna definitely contact her…let me know if u r interested ,will share her number with u.

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