Jandaru or Quern-stones

A Jandaru (quern-stones) at Khal village, Chamoli District, Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Quern-stones have been used (in pairs) for grinding cereals into flour since ancient times. The lower stone, called quern, stays stationery while the upper moving stone is a muller with a handle that allows it to be rotated. The central hole here enables feeding in the grain for grinding.

In Garhwal, folk songs have been traditionally sung by women at the time of cereal-grinding (typically corn) in the Jandaru. They would usually do this in the night after everyone else was asleep, and their other chores were over. The songs were a means of warding off sleep.

Contributed By :

Harish Benjwal