In Indias Tamil Nadu, some 420km south of Chennai, sits Dindigul.
A shopkeeper displays a wide variety of Dindigul locks.
Close your eyes and make a wish.
Ask for the most complicated lock to deter your enemies.
Give it a simple name.
By the time you open your eyes, the locksmiths of Dindigul would have granted your wish.
The mango lock gets its name from the beloved summer fruit of India.
The Vichitra mango locks went a step further and catered to the power hierarchy of ancient families and businesses.
The manager could check the cashier from accessing the safe in a similar manner.
If a key is inserted into the wrong hole, the lock jams.
This helps confuse thieves.
A mango lock (left) and a Vichitra lock (right).
Photo: Kamala Thiagarajan/Atlas Obscura
The variety doesnt end there.
Some locks have an iron rod extending from their key.
But today only some 50-60 craftsmen are carrying the weight of the legacy on their shoulders.
The other contending lock industry is in Aligarh.
There too, machine-made locks are able to cater to market needs faster and more cheaply.
As artisans with skill pass on, the variety of designs continue to decrease.
But an impactful product is not easily forgotten.
These locks of yore were futuristic in their design and unrelenting in their mechanism.
References#Atlas Obscura#The News Minute#The Times of India#The Hindu
