Sholapith

Sholapith or shola pith (also referred to as shola and Indian cork) is a dried milky-white spongey plant matter from Aeschynomene species. It can be pressed and shaped into objects of art.
Contents

Aeschynomene
A piece of Aeschynomene sp stem. The very thin, reddish brown layer around the stem, is the bark. The whitish interior is the wood. The central, dark hollow tube contained the pith which disappeared with the ageing of the plant.

The useful part of this plant is the wood (secondary-xylem) of the stem. This wood is often mistaken as the pith.

Aeschynomene makes among the world’s lightest woods.

Shola grows wild in marshy waterlogged areas. The biological name of shola is Aeschynomene aspera of the bean family. It is an herbaceous plant, which grows especially in the marshy areas of Bengal, Assam, Orissa and the Deccan. The sholapith is the cortex or core of the plant and is about 1.5 inch across.
Crafts

Traditionally sholapith products have been used for decorating Hindu idols and creating the headgear of brides and grooms for a traditional Bengali wedding. In more recent times, sholapith handicrafts have found a wider application in home décor such as Hindu gods and artistic objects.

Sholapith is similar in form to man-made polystyrene foam (sometimes known by the brand names Thermacol and Styrofoam), but is superior in terms of malleability, texture, lustre and sponginess.[1]
West Bengal
An example of sholapith craftwork.

In West Bengal, this craft is mainly practised in the districts of Bardhaman, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Nadia, Hooghly, Malda and south 24 Parganas district. Sholapith craftsmen are known as Malakar, meaning “garland maker”, probably because they made shola garlands for idols and for the noble class.

About 5,000 artisans practice this craft. Craftsmen spend months on each piece. In Murshidabad shola crafts are flowery designs, decorative headwear of gods and goddesses, garlands, figurines such as the faces of gods and goddesses, elephant howdahs, peacock boats and palanquins. Shola products are exported to across the world. In South 24 Parganas, many poor families earn their livelihood from shola products. Big puja pandals of Calcutta are beautifully decorated using shola.

The idol makers of Kumortuli who traditionally produced clay idols have taken to making idols of sholapith and fibreglass. While fibreglass products can cost around Rs 110,000-120,000, those prepared from sholapith cost Rs 90,000. The height of the idols can vary from four to nine feet. These are mostly purchased for Indian community puja organizers abroad.