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In News
- Recently, the District Tourism Promotion Council, Kozhikode has applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the famous Beypore Uru (boat).
About Beypore Uru
- It is a wooden dhow (ship / sailing boat / sailing vessel) handcrafted by skilled artisans and carpenters in Beypore, Kerala.
- The Beypore Urus are a symbol of Kerala’s trade relations and friendship with the Gulf countries.
- Wood:
- They are purely made of premium wood, without using any modern techniques.
- The wood used to build the Uru is still sawed the traditional way which requires immense expertise.
- Time:
- It takes anywhere between 1-4 years to build each Uru and the entire process is done manually
- Artists:
- Many artisans involved in Uru-making are over 50-70 years old and have been in the profession since their fathers passed on the tradition to them.
- History:
- It has been a legendary maritime hub for traders from across the world since the 1st Century C.E. and the iconic Uru ships have been in high demand for around 2000 years.
- The history of Khalasis, skilled natives engaged in launching the Uru boats at Beypore, dates back to 2000 years.
- This traditional handicraft has been in existence for 2000 years.
- Records show that there are several communities traditionally associated with Uru-making.
- The prominent people among them are Odayis.
- They manage the technical matters of ship building. Their family name comes from Odam (a type of small ship previously used in interactions/trade between the Malabar coast and Lakshadweep).
- The Khalasis are another prominent class associated with Uru-making after the Odayis.
- They are also referred to as Mappila Khalasis as majority of them are Mappila Muslims.
- They are world-famous for their skill and expertise in launching the completed Urus into the water by using only traditional methods.
- They also haul the Urus in need of repairs back to the shipyard at Beypore.
- The prominent people among them are Odayis.
Geographical Indication Tag
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Source: TH
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