Bidriware

[2] As a native art form, Bidriware obtained a Geographical Indications (GI) registry on 3 January 2006.

Abdullah bin Kaiser, a craftsman from Iran was invited by the Sultan Ahmed Shah Bahmani to work on decorating the royal palaces and courts.

[2] According to some accounts, Kaiser worked with local craftsmen and the partnership resulted in bidriware under the rule of Ahmed Shah and his son Second Alauddin Bahmani.

According to the census of India in 1961, Syed Tassaduq Hussain, a first National awardee in 1969, was the head of the Gulistan Cooperative Society in Bidar.

[6] The soil is mixed with ammonium chloride and water to produce a paste which is then rubbed onto a heated brass surface.

[8] Most common types of motifs used are either floral or geometrical, with influences from Persian, Southern India, and later from Europe.

[8] Earlier, bidriware was used for hookahs, paan-holders, and vases but now keepsakes, bowls, earrings, trays, ornament boxes, other jewelry and showpiece items are made from it.

The fort is a tourist attraction, protected from development but accessible to the public, and the guards do not mind the artisans sneaking out small quantities of soil every now and then.

Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited is keen on promoting the Bidri art form.

[3] The traditional art which is identified with a limited set of designs is now trying to diversify and find a foothold in the present-day market and appeal to younger patrons.

New items include USB drive covers, office stationeries such as paper clips, key bunches, lockets, envelope openers, pen stands, lampshades and even floor tiles.

[11] While Bidar in Karnataka and Hyderabad in Telangana are the most vibrant centers, this art is also practiced in few other parts of the country like Purnia in Bihar, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Murshidabad in West Bengal.

In Bellori, a village near Purnia, local craftsmen known as the Kansaris are engaged in molding and turning bidri vessels.

The Indian Royal Academy of Art and Culture has published a book in Kannada title Karnatakada Bidri Kale (Bidri Art of Karnataka) under the financial assistance of the Department of Kannada and Culture, Government of Karnataka in the year 2012.