Etikoppaka, Andhra Pradesh

Etikoppaka

Lacquered wooden toys, coloured with seeds and roots

Turned on hand lathes from soft ankudu wood and polished with natural lac, Etikoppaka toys carry colours drawn from seeds, bark, roots and leaves. The rounded forms and glowing finish come from friction alone — no varnish, no chemical dye.

Made by families along the Varaha river who have been turning wood for over four hundred years.