Udaipur Handicraft - Kawad, wooden story-telling box

Let's have a look at this traditional craft.

The Kawad is a wooden box that can be open step by step to relate a story, often about Hindu religion. This was used centuries ago by singers and story-tellers, to relate the main religious tales in every village.

Bassi, nearby Chittorgarh, is the original village where these boxes were produced. Today, the topics have changed and the production is more for tourists. You will see Kawads in Udaipur.

Still, if you go to rural areas, people will be receptive to stories told with a Kawad. When Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the world) started to organize awareness campaigns for communities about health issues, we designed a special Kawad, involving the God of Health and presenting the human body with references to religion. It was a way to integrate science and health system in the beliefs of people.