Jaderi Namakatti
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Jaderi Namakatti-a holy clay stick, white in color and finger like structure is manufactured in the village of Jaderi of Tamil Nadu. Hindu especially Vaishnavites use Namakatti[1]
Jaderi Namakatti is prepared in mass scale at Jaderi a village in Thiruvannamalai district. In Jaderi, more than 150 families are involved in the production of these clay sticks as a cottage industry. The selection of rock available near by area is a skill which makes namakatti to be rich deposited hydrous silicate.
The process of making Namakatti involves the following steps:[2]
- Sourcing: The required white clay is sourced from calcium-rich white rocks found in the nearby Thenpundipattu panchayat.
- Processing: These rocks are quarried, ground into a fine powder, and soaked in water for two days.
- Refining: After soaking, the water and impurities are drained away.
- Molding: The white clay that settles at the bottom is collected and molded into sticks.
- Drying & Sale: These clay sticks are then dried in the sun and sold across the country.