The Lockmakers Of Dindigul

The mango button lock opens only when you turn the key after
pressing a hidden button. KAMALA THIAGARAJAN

Hundreds of years ago a lock-making industry emerged in the city of Dindigul in southern India because there was an abundance of iron in this region but scarce water for agriculture.

"Until the 1980s, perhaps 1,800 locksmiths lived and worked in Dindigul. Today, only about 200 practitioners know how to craft a typical Dindigul door lock, also called a bullet lock. It’s a complicated metal contraption, with nine inner levers that operate five cylindrical steel rods simultaneously; the rods latch into place with every twist of the key."

Today four elderly locksmiths work at the government-run Dindigul Lock, Hardware and Steel Furniture Workers’ Industrial Cooperative Society (DICO). Each of these master craftsmen makes three to five locks a day, for which they earn about 350 rupees (or $5).

More about this dwindling industry: Atlas Obscura