Visakhapatnam, June 30 -- A piece of Andhra Pradesh's living history has made its way to the nation's highest office. President Droupadi Murmu, India's first tribal President, was welcomed with a deeply symbolic gift: a stunning "Sri Rama Pattabhishekam" handcrafted in the 400-year-old Etikoppaka lacquer-turnery tradition.

President Murumu welcomed with a Sri Rama Pattabhishekam handcrafted in Etikoppaka, the nearly four-century-old lacquer-turnery tradition of Visakhapatnam district.

Turned from soft Ankudu wood and coloured entirely with natural lac dyes by the artisans of Etikoppaka village on the banks of the Varaha, the GI-tagged piece drew admiration for the fineness of its detailing.

A folk art of Andhra's own soil, four centuri...