Kalamkari

Kalamkari painting of Lord Vishnu lying on the serpent Ananta, displayed at the British Museum.

Kalamkari is an ancient textile printing art that finds its roots in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The ancient textile printing art form is believed to have evolved about 3000 years ago in Andhra Pradesh. Kalamkari gained popularity in the south of India during the reign of Vijayanagara Empire. Kalam implies 'pen' and Kari means 'art', a name given by the Mughals when they discovered the art during their reign over the Deccan region. Only natural dyes are used in Kalamkari, which involves twenty-three steps.[1][2][3] There are two main styles of Kalamkari. The block printed that is practised in the town of Machilipatnam and the hand painted style that is largely practised in the town of Srikalahasti, both located in Andhra Pradesh.

Srikalahasti style of Kalamkari, where the "kalam" or pen is used for freehand drawing of the subject and filling in the colours, is entirely hand worked. It is produced in Srikalahasti of Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. This style flourished in temples centred on creating unique religious identities, appearing on scrolls, temple hangings, chariot banners as well as depictions of deities and scenes taken from the Hindu epics (e.g. Ramayana, Mahabharata and Purana). The style owes its present status to Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay who popularised the art as the first chairperson of the All India Handicrafts Board.[4]

Machilipatnam style of Kalamkari or Pedana Kalamkari work involves vegetable dyed block-painting of a fabric.[5] It is produced at the town of Machilipatnam in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. It was registered as one of the geographical indication from Andhra Pradesh under handicraft goods by Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.[6]

  1. ^ "Kalamkari: An Ancient Style of Hand Painting". Utsavpedia (Circular reference). 12 June 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Fine Craftsmanship: A crash course on 8 art and craft traditions from India". Architectural Digest India. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  3. ^ Bajpai, Ishita (20 February 2020). "Watch: Learn About Different 'Lok Kalas' Of India". ED Times | Youth Media Channel. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. ^ Abraham, David (16 September 2017). ". The revivalist woman behind All India Handicrafts Board and Central Cottage Industries Emporia". India Today. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Kalamkari back in demand". The Hindu. Tirupati. 25 October 2010. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Registration Details of Geographical Indications" (PDF). Intellectual Property India, Government of India. Retrieved 14 May 2019.