About Craft

Flexible Fish is a very ancient craft of Odisha. The craft has been originated from Belaguntha village of Dhenkanal district. It was considered as the symbol of Lord Vishnu's Matsya Avatara and also the symbol of peace. During marriage there was a traditional practice, where the girl would be sent with a wooden box having sindoor, kajal, money and a flexible brass fish as symbol of peace.

The main attraction of this craft is the life like smooth movement. The entire brass flexible fish is split into mainly 3 parts i.e, head, torso & the tail and it is made out of brass and other metals. Brass sheets are used to make the majority of the craft and brass wire is used to make some parts like legs. For the eyes very shiny red stones are used to give it a beautiful contrast. These crafts become more flexible with time and use. The work is very intricate and time consuming.