The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) continued its campaign to promote Andhra Pradesh's traditional crafts on the national stage by presenting an Etikoppaka handicraft to President Droupadi Murmu during her visit to Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. State IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh received the President at INS Dega and presented her with a handcrafted Sri Rama Pattabhishekam idol made in Etikoppaka, the celebrated wood-lacquer craft village in Anakapalli district. Along with Lokesh joined the Governor Syed Abdul Nazeer, Assembly Speaker of the Legislative, Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu, and Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha.
The presentation reflects the TDP government's continuing effort to use nationally significant occasions to highlight Andhra Pradesh's indigenous crafts. It follows the recent promotion of Mangalagiri handloom and signals a broader initiative to project the state's traditional arts and crafts as symbols of its cultural identity.
The handcrafted Sri Rama Pattabhishekam idol depicts Lord Rama's coronation after his return to Ayodhya. By selecting this artwork as the official gift for the President, the government combined one of India's most enduring cultural themes with one of Andhra Pradesh's oldest handicraft traditions, bringing Etikoppaka's legacy before the country's highest constitutional office.
Located on the banks of the Varaha River, Etikoppaka has been known for its handcrafted wooden artefacts for nearly four centuries. The craft follows the traditional Tharini technique, using the soft wood of the Ankudu tree (Wrightia tinctoria), which is shaped on hand-operated lathes and finished with natural lac dyes extracted from roots, bark, seeds and leaves. The process produces vibrant colours without synthetic paints, making the products eco-friendly and safe for children. The village is known for producing mythological figurines, Raja-Rani dolls, spinning tops, musical instruments and decorative items.
The craft gained wider national attention after Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Etikoppaka in his Mann Ki Baat programme in 2020. Earlier, it had received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2017 following an application submitted by the then TDP government in 2014, providing legal recognition to one of Andhra Pradesh's oldest handicraft traditions.
With Etikoppaka following Mangalagiri handloom into the national spotlight, the TDP government continues its effort to use prominent public occasions to promote Andhra Pradesh's artisan communities and preserve the visibility of the state's traditional crafts.
