Household stone implements in Karnataka facts for kids
Traditional stone tools have been used in homes across Karnataka, India for a long time. These tools help with grinding and pounding food. The main ones are called oralu kallu, beeso kallu, dundugallu, and kutni. They were very important before modern kitchen appliances became common.
How to Say Their Names
In Kannada, the main language of Karnataka, these names have special sounds.
- Oralu kallu is written as ಒರಳು ಕಲ್ಲು. The "lu" in Oralu sounds like "ḷu". Oralu means "turn," describing how the grinding stone moves. Kallu means "stone." Another name is rubbo kallu (ರುಬ್ಬೊ ಕಲ್ಲು), where "rubbu" means "grinding."
- Beeso kallu is written as ಬೀಸೋ ಕಲ್ಲು. "Beesu" means "dry grinding."
- Dundugallu is written as ದುಂಡುಗಲ್ಲು. "Dundu" means "round," describing the stone's shape. It is also called rubbo dundi (ರುಬ್ಬೂ ದುಂಡಿ).
- Kutni is written as ಕುಟ್ನಿ. "Kuttu" means "pounding."
Oralu Kallu
What is Oralu Kallu?
The oralu kallu, also known as rubbo kallu, is a stone tool used for wet grinding. It has two parts. The top part is a grinding stone called gundukallu (ಗುಂಡುಕಲ್ಲು) or gootada kallu (ಗೂಟದಕಲ್ಲು). It is a strong, round stone, sometimes with a wooden handle. The bottom part is the base stone, which is the oralu kallu itself. It has a hollow space in the middle.
How to Wet Grind
The gundukallu is placed in the hollow part of the base stone. You rotate it, usually with your left hand. Your right hand pushes the food ingredients towards the center. This helps grind them smoothly. People often switch hands if they get tired or need to grind a lot of food.
What is it Used For?
- It grinds batters for popular foods like dosa and idli.
- It also makes different chutneys and spice mixes (masalas).
- It is a favorite tool for making uddina vada batter in restaurants.
- It helps make a sweet snack called chigali.
- It is used in a wedding custom called Arishina Kuttuva Shastra.
Is it Still Used Today?
In the past, almost every home had an oralu kallu. They were often built into kitchen floors or counters. Now, modern machines like mixer grinders and food processors are common. So, the oralu kallu has mostly disappeared from cities. It is also used less in villages. However, some people believe food made with an oralu kallu tastes better.
Beeso Kallu
What is Beeso Kallu?
The beeso kallu is a stone tool used for dry grinding grains. It has two thick, flat, round stones placed one on top of the other. The top stone has a hole in the middle. A small cone-shaped part from the bottom stone fits into this hole. This allows the top stone to spin. The top stone also has another hole on its side for a wooden handle. In northern India, it is called a chakki, which means "stone mill."
How to Dry Grind
You pour the grains you want to grind into the central hole of the top stone. The grains slide down into a small gap between the two stones. As you turn the top stone with the handle, the grains are ground into flour.
What is it Used For?
- It makes flour from grains like rice, ragi (finger millet), wheat, and jowar (sorghum).
- Sometimes, people also ground spices like chili powder and sambar powder with it.
Is it Still Used Today?
This was the main tool for making flour before large grinding mills became popular. While once common in rural areas, beeso kallu are now very rare.
Dundugallu
What is Dundugallu?
The dundugallu is a simple stone tool for wet grinding. It is mostly found in rural areas. It has two parts: a round, cylindrical, or oval stone, and a flat stone surface. These tools come in many different sizes.
How to Wet Grind
First, both parts of the dundugallu are washed. Then, the ingredients are placed on the flat stone. The heavy round or oval stone is rolled back and forth over the ingredients to grind them.
What is it Used For?
- It is used to wet grind ingredients for spice mixes (masalas) and chutneys.
Is it Still Used Today?
Like other traditional tools, the dundugallu was once common in villages. Now, it has almost disappeared.
Kutni
What is Kutni?
The kutni is a small stone tool used for grinding small amounts of food. It can grind both dry and wet ingredients. It is like a mortar and pestle. The base stone, called kutni, is shaped like a boat or circle with a shallow top surface. The pounding stone, called kutto kallu (ಕುಟ್ಟೋ ಕಲ್ಲು), is a small, pear-shaped stone.
How to Grind
You place the ingredients in the kutni (the base stone). Then, you use the kutto kallu (the pounding stone) to crush, pound, or grind them.
What is it Used For?
- It coarsely grinds small amounts of spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.
- It is used to crush black pepper.
- It makes small amounts of chili (menasinkai) or okra (bendekai) chutneys.
- It also helps make chigali.
Is it Still Used Today?
Kutni, or mortar and pestle, are still found in many homes today. They come in various sizes and shapes. While traditionally made of stone, they are now also made from iron, steel, wood, marble, granite, or even plastic.
Other Interesting Facts
Arishina Kuttuva Shastra
Arishina Kuttuva Shastra (ಅರಿಶಿನ ಕುಟ್ಟುವ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ) is an important wedding custom in Southern India. "Arishina" means turmeric. In this ritual, whole, dried turmeric is placed in an oralu kallu. Women use a long wooden pole called an onake to pound it into powder. This turmeric powder is then mixed with water to make a paste. The paste is applied to the bride and groom. A similar tradition in northern India is called the Haldi function. In another wedding custom, the bride symbolically pounds grains like rice and jowar.
Onake
An onake is a long wooden pole or stick. In the past, people used it to pound grains into flour. The grains were placed in an oralukallu, and the onake was used to pound them. Today, the onake is mostly used in the Arishina Kuttuva Shastra wedding ritual. Sometimes, it is called a pestle in English.
A brave woman named Obavva from Chitradurga Fort once used an onake to fight off enemy soldiers. She is remembered as Onake Obavva. She is a symbol of bravery for women in Karnataka, much like another historical ruler, Kittur Chennamma.
