Early 20th Century Nautical Jackwood Water Wheel Accessory From Kerala, India

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An antique water wheel from Kerala, India. This Kerala water wheel, also known as a "chakram chavittal," would have originally … Read more An antique water wheel from Kerala, India. This Kerala water wheel, also known as a "chakram chavittal," would have originally been used as a manually operated agriculture irrigation device. Made of an ebonized Jackwood, this piece dates back to the early 20th century. These water wheels where traditionally used in fields to redirect water flow from an underground spring. An individual would sit precariously high above the wheel, held by only a few posts or rods, and the operator would use his feel to manually move the water paddles. There is an additional image which shows how these wheels were once used. This wheel has nice aging from use as depicted along the edges of the blades. Such an interesting piece would be handsome hung from a wall or sitting as a decorative object on the floor. See less