The art is eco-friendly. The sholapith is extracted from a plant that grows in marshy areas, and . It is cut and dried before the artisans begin working on it. The delicate a process uses nothing more than sharp knives, and requires great artisanal skill and dexterity. Each piece is unique and handmade from start to finish. A lot of love and devotion goes into making sholapith objects, as it is believed the sholapith crown was first made on behest of Lord Shiva for his wedding with Parvathi. Shiva created a human being, Malakar, who was entrusted with the task of crafting the crown and jewellery out of sholapith.