Kalamkari

Domain:Traditional craftsmanship

State:

Description:

Srikalahasti near the temple town of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh specialises in producing temple cloths, Kalamkari (lit. pen-work), primarily used for their temple festivals or as wall hangings. The stories from the epics the Ramayana , the Mahabharata and the Puranas are painted as continuous narratives, each important event framed in a rectangle. Sometimes short episodes from the stories are also painted. The relevant Telugu verses explaining the theme are also carried below the artwork. Considerable degree of imaginative and technical skill is required to condense the stories into illustrative formats. The master craftsman draws the outline of the design with Kalam or pen on the myrobalan treated cloth using charcoal sticks made from tamarind wood. He draws from the rich repertoire of design and motifs and iconographical details of various god and goddesses as laid down traditionally. The colors are obtained from vegetable and mineral sources. The main colors used are black, red, blue and yellow, and alum is used as mordant to fix the colors and to obtain the reds. The gods are painted blue, and the demons and evil characters in red and green. Yellow is used for female figures and ornaments. Red is mostly used as a background. The cotton cloth is washed in flowing water to remove starch. Keeping up with the times, the Kalamkari artists are now designing also for their modern clientele. The art from is practised mainly at Srikalahasti. Situated on the banks of the river Swaranmukhi, it is a picturesque town located in the Chittoor district of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The town is about 30 kms from the famous pilgrim centre of Tirupati. The craft is also practised at the following places in Andhra Pradesh: (a). Yerpedu, Kolla pharam (near Lanco), Kadur, Narasingapuram and Kannali village in Chittoor District, (b). Venkatagiri in Nellore District, adjoining the Chittoor district along the coastal belt of the Bay of Bengal, (c). Machilipatnam, a local fishing hub in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh (where wooden blocks are used for printing the fabrics but yellow and blue colours are hand painted). The tradition of Kalahasti Paintings was originally practised by the Balija community residing in the Kalahasti region, located in the southern corner of Andhra Pradesh. Practised since the 14th century, it underwent massive decline in the beginning of the 20th century. So much so that, by 1950’s, Jonnalagadda Lakshmaiah was the only painter of the community practising the craft.