A cluster is defined as a geographic concentration(a city/town/few adjacent villages and their adjoining areas)of units producing near similar products and facing common opportunities and threats.An artisan cluster is defined as geographically concentrated (mostly in villages/townships)household units producing handicraft/handloom products.In a typical cluster, such producers often belong to a traditional community, producing the long-established products for generations. Indeed, many artisan clusters are centuries old Artisan.

About Koppal Cluster:-

Koppal Cluster falls under Karnataka State in Mangalore district.

The Koppal cluster is able to form 70 plus Artisans & 5 SHGs supporting the strong work force.The mobilisation gains momentum day by day.

Cane and Bamboo:-

Cane and bamboo are the two most commonly-used materials in daily life in karnataka.products ranging from household implements to construction of dwelling houses to weaving accessories to musical instruments are made in bamboo.No mechanical devices are used in the craft, which is mainly a household industry.Besides basket-weaving, bamboo is used chiefly in the construction of houses and fencing.The craft traditionally provides part-time employment to cultivators in the lean season, although, increasingly, full-time artisans engaged in commercial activity can be found now.

Bamboo products are in evidence everywhere in karnataka.There are innumerable types and shapes of the bamboo basket, varying with the use to which they are put.The men of the household usually weave the bamboo baskets.Each district has its own distinctive style.In general, conical baskets are used as carrying baskets and square or round bottomed ones are used for storage.An example is the karnataka's bamboo basket from Mysore.This has a square base that is capped inwards so that the corners of the square act as a support and it has a wide mouth.It is used for storing betel nuts.The  bamboo basket is made with the help of a mould, which is used to get the shape of the neck and the mouth.From the neck to the bottom, brown paper is made into a cone and put into the basket so that its tip touches the bottom.Sand is filled inside to retain the shape of the cone and the weaving follows the shape of the cone.

The japi, the traditional sun-shade continues to be the most well-known of bamboo items.It has been in use since the days when the great Chinese traveller, Hiuen Tsang came to karnataka.

Raw materials:-

Karnataka being rich in raw materials has a large variety of beautiful products.The hill and the plain people, each have their own styles & designs.Apart from making baskets, cane & bamboo are also turned into furniture items, comparatively more modern innovation.Materials made of Cane and ves with the minimum tools.It was considered clean for religious purposes.One of the finest examples of craft skills in KaBamboo are one of the very oldest of men creations, done by joining grass with grass and interlacing learnataka is its cane work.The raw material, profusely available in its lush forests, provides the industry with its strength and sustenance.

Process:-

The whole stem of cane and bamboo is cut with a hacksaw and split longitudinally into various sizes by a billhook.The cane is heated on a slow fire, generally with a kerosene lamp for flexibility.The objects can be made in two different forms: coiling for baskets; and weaving for mats.In coiled basketry, foundation of the basket is built first by coiling a cane round a central core.It is built up spirally and gradually the width is increased until desired height is attained.The coils are joined together by sewing strips which can be attached in two ways: each stitch passed over the new portion of the foundation coil.Figure of eight is made i.e., the stitch passes behind up, over and under the preceding coil and right over the new coil.Thus coil material is sewn with the strips and a basket is made.The ornamentation of the baskets can be done with attaining lace, paper and shells. The craftsmen cut the bamboo into sizes of desired length with the help of cutting tools called Dao.Bamboo length cut as per thickness with the help of different kinds of knives.The material thus ready is used for making frame of an article or furniture where as pencil cane is used for designing and binding purpose.The thick cane is used for making frame of an article or furniture where as pencil cane is used for designing and binding purpose.The cane is bend in the desired shape for a furniture or article by process of heating with blow lamp.The ends are joined with adhesive and nail and the joints are binded with strips of pencil cane. The items produced in cane & bamboo are cleaned with sand-paper and polished with varnish. The production of cane and bamboo articles involves the cutting of whole stems with a hack saw and slicing them into splits of various sizes using a bill hook or dao.Slicing is done longitudinally along the length of the densely packed fibres and a fairly smooth operation, requiring only the requisite amount of moisture in the culm.A kerosene lamp is used to heat the cane before it can be bent into shape.

Techniques:-

There are various stages that go in the production of cane products, beginning with the collection of raw material from the forests.To obtain a smooth surface, the upper layer of raw cane is scraped off.The long cane sticks are cut into smaller pieces that are followed by splitting the cane to obtain thin strips.Cane can be further split, making it as thin as required.The split cane is now bent using a blowlamp that may cause some burns on the surface; these are removed by rubbing with sandpaper.Following this, the cane can be woven based on the design of the articles being fashioned from it. After the finishing touches have been provided, the products may be dabbed with a coat of varnish before being dispatched to the market.

How to reach:-

By Road:-

Koppal town is well connected by road from all important cities in Karnataka. It is connected by road to Bangalore, Hubli, Hospet, Bellary, Raichur by National Highways (NH63 & NH13). It is 380 kms away from Bangalore and 120 kms from Hubli. State transport Buses ply to Koppal from almost all important cities like Bangalore, Hubli, Mysore, Goa, Hyderabad, Gulbarga, Bidar, Raichur, Bellary, Dharwad, Davanagere, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur and Mangalore etc.

By Train:-

Koppal town is well connected by rail from Bangalore, Hubli, Belgaum, Goa, Thirupathi, Vijayawada, Guntur, Guntkal, Hyderabad, Miraj.