Chamakta Maazi: The Cultural Heritage of Varakh in the Old City of Hyderabad, Telangana

This report explores varakh, the thin silver leaf most commonly seen on sweets across South Asia. While often approached as a decorative element, this study centres varakh as a sociocultural object, one embedded in everyday practices and systems of meaning. Focusing on the Old City of Hyderabad, historically, and even today, a key site of varakh production, the project examines how the material was used, experienced, and valued by both producers and consumers