Gara is a community of blacksmiths belonging to the
Ladakh region of
Jammu and Kashmir. This community has a special significance in the Ladakhi society, since they make agricultural tools and instruments.
These blacksmiths are mainly known for the locks that they make. These locks exhibit unique designs. They contain 9 to 16 lever mechanism. The keys are stylish in design and worn like an ornament around the waist, held by a string or silver chain.
Some of the common designs seen in these blacksmiths’ work are a floral strip, two face-to-face dragons, tanka (a design generally found in old Chinese coins), ‘yumdum-lagyut’ (a prayer room decorative item) and ‘palpyu’ (a geometric luck diagram). The ‘dorjay’ or thunderbolt is also a common design theme used by the blacksmiths.
