Wood was chosen by the craftsmen because of the durability and for its potential as a carving medium. The culture of wood art in India was initiated in nineteenth century and due to their flexibility to adopt the environment and for their constancy.
Wood art or Timber work is pervasive in preference among the different communities in India. Houses of Punjab has the distinction of engaging beautiful wooden balconies enclose by pierced screens and in Kangra( Himachal Pradesh) houses are bedecked with bas -relief carvings. This feature distinctly clarifies that wood art in India is not only famous as a craft form, but has also being employed as an impressive medium of architecture.
Wood art as an architectural pattern established the reputation for the carpenters in the Rajasthani district of Sakhawati. Here doors with carved beams, door-surrounds with little shutters in wood art were introduced. This set up a new trend of wood art in India which was later followed by the South Indian architects. The villas of rich merchants of Chattinad, north east of Madurai(Tamil Nadu) were embellished with capitals, carved columns, beams, brackets and lintels. Kerala was renowned for the establishments of fabulous sculptured artwork in temples, palaces and great mansions. In Gujarat also wood art gained a whole new facet. In Gujrati architecture the brackets in wood art were embellished with the projection of balconies and the floors of Gujrati mansions also included the carved emblems of struggling animal forms, intricately interwoven. These rich yet tender, impressive yet intrigue wood art still echoes an orgy of life. The typical design of architectural wood art in India involved the frequent usage of carved screens. The carved screens helped to keep the interior airy. This also involved the embellishment of beams and pillars
In wood art, timber then was used as a substitute of stone. The wooden mosques of Kashmir , steep-roofed pine temples of North Himachal Pradesh , churches, high relief alter pieces, screens, statuary for the churches of Goa, and the gilded cherubs around the ceiling and pulpits in the churches of Goa and Daman Diu are exemplary of the excellence of wood work in India.
During the tenth century, the exigency for the woodwork declined. However the demand for the new doors and the door surrounds in temples, hotels and mansions in India and abroad had never let the craft of wood art perish. A new trend of employing the wood art in contouring temple structure is seen in this time. Southern India was famous for employing large wooden chariot during the celestial occasions. These large chariots are built with carved figures of deities, mythical animals and other decorations related to the god of the temple and occasion. The Jagannath temple of Puri employs such chariot during the festival "Rathajatra".
Later after the arrival of the Portuguese the amalgamation of the western and the eastern style were introduced in the prevailing structure of wood art in India. Much later the arrival of French and British introduced alien form in the wood art. The nineteenth century India offered a novel facet on wood art. Heavy furniture of densely carved ebony was introduced. Later the plain wood art in India was given an artistic touch with chiseled work. Tarkashi, another form of inlay, inherited from Mainpuri, was introduced as an archetypal form of wood art and is still in practice in Uttar Pradesh. This technique involves the gluing of the "naqsha" on a plain dark surface "sbisham", a little chisel is used to engrave the outline into the wood. "Tarkashi" work was done for the embellishment of the "khadaun" that was a wooden sandal worn by the pious Hindus.
Decorative wooden boxes and chests became an impressive form of wood art in India. Fabulous boxes made of fine timber were often used in marriage purpose. In Kerala there is still a demand for "Malabar box" and "Naturapretty" boxes which are boxes are usually made of wood from the jackfruit tree, reinforced with brass hinges and brackets and finely painted on a vermilion background. In Raghurajpur , the "Jantaka Pedi" is well known for its value in weddings. This is a dowry box which is covered with pictures from Hindu myths. Chests found in Chamba (Himachal Pradesh) are used for storing grain and in Ladakh they are found decorated with brightly painted Tibetan Buddhist motifs. The smallest instance of Indian wood work in chest and box form is the nose-ring boxes and "sindura".
Sandal wood also plays an important role in wood art and craft in India. Sandal wood in wood art is generally used for incising deities. Small puppets are popular in rural areas and are also the parts of wood art of India. Large deities and tiny, painted goods, dolls, animals, fruit and animals are still found in large number in Chennapatna(Karnataka).
