When we say Kanchipuram the first thing that comes to our mind is a silk saree. But kanchipuram is not just silk saree. There are more things beyond silk saree. Kanchipuram the temple town is also popular for its traditional paper mache and clay dolls. I have written a separate blog on the raw material, process,etc on traditional paper mache and clay dolls of Kanchipuram. This blog is about the paper mache dough prepared for making paper mache dolls.
Required Material:
1.Waste paper dough
2.Copper Sulphate
3.Tapioca Tuber dough
4.Kolam Bar/Stone
Making Process:
For the paper mache dough, first gum has to be prepared. For preparing the gum tapioca tuber powder/dough (Maravalli Kizhangu thool) is mixed with water and a few drops of copper sulphate(Mayil Thootham) which acts as disinfectant.
Tapioca tuber powder
Tapioca tuber powder and Kolam stone powder
This mixture is boiled and made into a paste consistency.
Gum for making paper mache dough
Waste paper is ground into powder and the kolam bar or kolam stone is also powdered. Now the ground waste paper powder and kolam powder is mixed to the gum paste forming a dough that looks similar to a chapati batter.
Ground paper
This dough is then rolled flat and used for preparing doll.
