Etikoppaka Lacquer Wood Toy Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh

Etikoppaka village on the Varaha river in Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh is the production centre for the GI-certified Etikoppaka lacquer wooden toys, turned on a foot-powered lathe from the soft Ankudu (Wrightia tinctoria) wood and finished with natural lac (shellac) in vivid colours derived from natural lac-dye extracts including turmeric (yellow), indigo (blue), and safflower (red), without the use of any synthetic paint or varnish. The Etikoppaka artisan, predominantly from the Chetty community, turns the basic cylindrical or bell-shaped toy form on the lathe and then applies the liquid lac colouring by pressing a coloured lac stick against the spinning wood, the heat of friction melting the lac into a thin even film that acts simultaneously as colour and protective lacquer. Etikoppaka toys are famous for their natural food-safe lac finish that makes them safe for infants, unlike conventional painted toys, and the toy range includes rattles, spinning tops, dolls, kitchen sets, and animal figures. The Visakhapatnam district administration has developed the Etikoppaka craft village as a craft tourism destination, and export demand for natural lac toys has grown in European and USA health-conscious parenting markets.