Tradition
Aranmula kannadi a marvel in bronze 
“Brings Good Luck, Wealth and Prosperity to your Home, Shop, Office and Life”
Approximately five generations ago, a few Indian artisans came to Aranmula from Sankaran Koil near Tirunelveli. They came at the behest of the King of Pandalam, who asked them to participate in building the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple. These artisans, aside from carrying out their assigned tasks, made ornaments (e.g. bangles and rings), cooking vessels and bells by casting copper based alloys. In working with the bronzes, the artisans discovered the reflective property of one particular copper-tin alloy. This characteristic of the polished metal has been exploited for making those bronze mirrors known as “Aranmula Kannadi”, meaning Aranmula Mirror.
The mirror making process is very special and traditional. It may take many months to complete and Aranmula metal mirror. Many people believe that owning an Aranmula Metal Mirror brings Good Luck to their lives.
Aranmula Kannadi (Aranmula Mirror) is a precious inherited gift. The mystery of its production is a family gift handed over through generations. It is an exclusive product of Aranmula, near Chengannur, a village in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala State, India. This artistic creation is to adorn the grandeur of the houses. This handicraft is as beautiful and attractive as the glittering gold purified. In Puranas it has been described as the mirror of Goddess Parvathi. It is luxurious thing used to decorate and beautify the celebrations and ceremonies. It is famous for its secretive construction method and uniqueness in the make which get Patent protected with a Geographical Indication tag.
VaalKannadi (Hand held Mirrors)
There has been the mentioning of metal mirror in many Puranas including the Rig-Veda. Even in the carvings of Kajuraho there has been depiction of hand held mirrors. The mirror is oval shape or as per the ancient, it is shaped as the ‘YONNI MUKH’ or Vaginal face. It depicts femininity, just as Shiva Lingam depicts masculinity.
The VaalKannadi had been used by the ladies of wealthy families for make up and also to admire themselves. It has also been an item of social symbol. This had its popularity until the advent of the commercially manufactured glass mirrors which proved much cheaper and also served the purpose more efficiently.
There are many temples in which the VaalKannadi is used to symbolize Goddesses, i.e., Goddesses with out from. If it is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi, Veena is placed next to the mirror. The mirror has a lot of ritualistic importance.
Aranmula Kannadi (The Story of the Thattans and the Kannadi)
He came home and told his wife about his worries. It is claimed that while they were sleeping, the Goddess appeared in he dreams and told her the proportions for a bronze alloy that shone like a mirror and asked her to tell the ladies of the community to surrender their gold ornaments. All the gold were collected and sold to buy sufficient tin and copper. That night she went and told all the ladies to do as per the orders of the Devi.
The crown made out of the combination of copper and tin turned out to be a marvel of art and craft. It was silver like colour, brittle like glass, shone with rare brilliance, and when cleaned acquired the quality of reflection. The makudam of crown known as Kannadi Bhimbom (Mirror image) was preserved in the Aranmula temple till 1946. The casters soon worked out the ratios of different metals used.
The chieftain of Aranmula liberally patronized the craft persons and even laid down an order that the mirror should from one of the eight auspicious articles used in all Hindu religious rites including marriage. They then made a small “KUMKUMA CHEPPU” or vermilion container, in bronze and filled in with a small bronze mirror on the cover. This became very popular among the elite of Malayali Society. Under the patronage of a few aristocratic ladies the VaalKannadi flourished. But the demand died gradually a cheaper glass mirrors were available. The popularity of the handicraft grew by bounds only a decade ago, stepping us its demand especially in foreign countries.
Making of the Bronze Mirror (Casting of the Brass Frame)
The Kowa us then placed in an open pit furnace charged with burning charcoal. It is then covered with pieces of thondu, as thondu retains the heat. It is heated to about 400 degree Celsius (approximate melting point of brass). The molten metal is poured onto flat surface (usually the ground itself). Once cooled, the alloy is then broken into pieces using a chuttika (hammer). The broken pieces are then inspected for the quality of the alloy. If found satisfactory, then it is remelted. Else more amount of the alloying elements are added. The molten metal is then poured into the preheated mound. It is then left for cooling. Once cooled, the clay mould is broken and the casting is removed. The casting is checked for any deformities. Usually the master craftsman prepares four to five mirrors and polishes them at a stretch. When one gets heated he does the polishing for the next one while the other cools.
To achieve high quality reflective surface the polishing can go on from one to two days. Once the required polished surface is achieved it is then further polished using a piece of cotton cloth. Then final polishing is done using a velvet cloth. The velvet tends to absorb the oil that was applied earlier on to the mirror. Hence, further polishing is continued on another dry piece of velvet.
The velvet cloth is placed on the ground and the mirror along with wooden blank is moved in the desired direction. Once satisfactory finish is achieved the disk is just heated to separate it from the wooden blank and the mirror is mounted on brass fame.
Cautions
For Cleaning
Sprinkle the Kavi Powder on the Mirror and hold it in slant position allowing the dust and other particles rolled off from the reflective surface. Use Velvet and rub the surface very softly in vertical direction.
In case of any fungus formation due to careless handling, use just a drop of edible oil on the affected portion and rub it and then clean it as mentioned above until get the original reflection.