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Kalamkari Paintings in Andhra Pradesh

Kalakari paintings are a traditional intangible cultural heritage practiced mainly in Sri Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh. The craft involves painting religious stories and figures from Hindu epics on cloth using natural dyes. It is practiced by families from the Balija community as well as other communities in Andhra Pradesh. The paintings use black, red, blue, and yellow dyes to illustrate narratives from texts like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Considerable skill is needed to compress the complex stories into illustrative formats on the cloth.

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32 views1 page

Kalamkari Paintings in Andhra Pradesh

Kalakari paintings are a traditional intangible cultural heritage practiced mainly in Sri Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh. The craft involves painting religious stories and figures from Hindu epics on cloth using natural dyes. It is practiced by families from the Balija community as well as other communities in Andhra Pradesh. The paintings use black, red, blue, and yellow dyes to illustrate narratives from texts like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Considerable skill is needed to compress the complex stories into illustrative formats on the cloth.

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sandeep_karat
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IGNCA INVENTORY ON THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

Edited and Maintained by


Prof. Molly Kaushal
Janapada Sampada Division
IGNCA

Name of the Element: Kalamkari Paintings.

Community: The craft is practised at Sri Kalahasti by the family of Jonnalagadda Lakshmaiah of the
Balija community and other communities which practice this art are- Reddys, Mutharasis, Brahmins,
Naidus, Padmasalis of weavers' community, Christians, Muslims, etc. in Andhra Pradesh.

Region: The element is practised mainly at Sri Kalahasti in the Chittoor district of the state of Andhra
Pradesh. The craft is also practised at the following places in Andhra Pradesh:
1. Yerpedu, Kolla pharam (near Lanco), Kadur, Narasingapuram and Kannali village in Chittoor District.
2. Venkatagiri in Nellore District, adjoining the Chittoor district along the coastal belt of the Bay of Bengal.
3. Machilipatnam, a local fishing hub in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh.

Brief Description: Sri Kalahasti near the temple town of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh specializes in
producing temple cloths - Kalamkari (lit. pen-work). Kalamkari is primarily used for the temple festivals or
as wall hangings.
The stories from the epics Ramayana, 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 lay 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, 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 and between dyeing
and bleaching. Keeping up with the times, the Kalamkari artists are now designing also for their modern
clientele.

Submitted by: Secretary


Sangeet Natak Akademi
National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama
Rabindra Bhawan, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi 110001
Tel: 23387246-48,23382495Fax: 91-11-23385715
E-mail: sangeetnatak@bol.net.in, Website: http://www.sangeetnatak.org

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