The face mold of Lalua, a Jammu man hailing from India's Himalayan region, reveals astounding insights into the memorial customs of the Pahari people. Oval in shape, the mold of metal finely details the very face of Lalua, who is represented here in the unmistakable facial impression and casting frame in one continuous piece. The upper rim of the mold inscribes the name of the bearer and place: "Lalua, Jammu," thereby mingling his identity and this physical object. Such face molds were thought to harbor some commemorative or ritualistic significance for the Pahari.
They were likely kept at times in domestic shrines for ancestral rites or exhibited in honor of the deceased. The joined casting of the face and auxiliary frame speaks convincingly of the wholeness of being and memory whereby the person is not separated from the community or landscape or even territory that he belonged to or wherein he died. The Pahari tribe inhabiting areas of the Himalaya including Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, and parts of Uttarakhand, hosts a unique set of cultural traditions encompassing folk art, oral tradition, and lineage worship. Metal crafting is the oldest form of Pahari craftsmanship seen in ceremonial purposes and household utensils, including figures such as this one in reminiscence of the deceased. This face mold of Lalua, then, is more than a reminder of a life lived; it bears witness to the still-dominant Pahari legacy of ancestral veneration, identity, and artistry.