Context:

• Kondapalli toy makers claim that, though platforms such as Lepakshi, Amazon and MyStateBazaar endorse the products promoting the craft, such a promotion has barely helped them in their sustenance.

Kondapalli toys:

• Kondapalli Toys are the toys made of wood in Kondapalli of Krishna district, a village nearby Vijayawada in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
• Bommala Colonytranslates to Toys Colony in Kondapalli is the place where the art of crafting takes place.
• These toys have received a Geographical Indication Tag.
• These toys are one of the variety of toys assembled in the houses during the festivals of Sankranti and Navratri and is referred as “Bommala Koluvu”.
• The art of crafting is a 400 year old tradition.
• The artisans who make the toys are referred as Aryakhastriyas, who have their mention in the Brahmanda Purana.
• They are said to have migrated from Rajasthan in the 16th century to Kondappali and claims their origin to Muktharishi, a sage endowed with skills in arts and crafts by Lord Shiva.