Art aficionados must have heard of Bell metal craft. It is hugely popular amongst the art lovers all across India. One of the beautiful heritages of amazing Indian art, bell metals are known for their design and lost patterns. Some of the designs will simply take your breath away. Bell metals are in existence since centuries. It is basically an alloy that has been repeatedly used for carving artistic products. Bell metal craft often symbolizes pure beauty of tribal art. According to many opinions, it resembles bronze in some aspects. These materials are molded artistically and the final result manifests itself in form of distinguished form of art.
Bell craft is popular in many parts of the country like Assam, Bihar and West Bengal. However, Kerala is credited with the origin of this precious art. It has numerous usages, both for aesthetic as well as utility purposes. Objects like home furnishing materials, ornaments, utensils etc have been made using this metal. Many tribal deities have been shaped using bell metal craft. Many designs in different size and shape have been carved in bell metal craft. Raw materials required for bell metal handcrafted items are rice bran, charcoal, clay, jute fibers and lac etc.
There is a process called lost wax using which bell metal crafts are manufactured. This is a very ancient method but still widely used. Some of the artifacts of Bell metal are very popular across the world. Always in demand, these artifacts never go out of fashion. Some of the prominent ones are Bells, Lanterns, Boxes, Lamps, Bottle openers, Lamp Shades, Musical instruments, Tribal figurines and Tribal Animals. Considering the popularity of bell metal craft and new found interest in it, this craft is sure to flourish.
One of the rich but relatively less known traditions of Indian paintings is Pahari Paintings. As the name suggests the paintings are from the hills of India. The credit of this rich tradition goes to Rajput kings of Himachal Pradesh. The kings were known for their great taste of art and culture. They patronized the tradition of Pahari paintings during 17th to the 19th century. The beauty of this Northern state greatly inspired the artists to create mesmerizing pieces of art. Generally, the backdrop of these paintings is breathtaking landscapes of the mountain ranges. Pahari paintings are mostly in miniature style. 
Thangka paintings are inspired by Buddhist philosophies. These art works are basically fused three dimensional in nature. Tibetan Buddhists accord extreme importance to Thangka paintings. Art works are considered as more of religious objects and one can see them hanging on Buddhist monasteries. Thangka paintings are often used in Buddhist religious processions. Before proceeding further, let’s have some information about the term ‘Amitabh’. According to Buddhist religion, Amitabha Buddha is the “Buddha of Infinite Light” and Thangka paintings represent him seated in ‘Sukhavati’, his celestial paradise. Sukhavati is also known as realm of bliss. The term ‘Amitabha Thangkas’ has spiritual connotations. It signifies physical illustration of the metamorphosis of worldly requirements into all encircling incandescent consciousness. The paintings show Amitabh Buddha in a position where he has his hands in a meditation position and holding a begging bowl. The bowl signifies receptivity and infinite openness.