It was during my recent trip to an art gallery that I saw a Kalamkari painting for the first time. The intricate designs and fine details of the painting fascinated me. Wondering what goes in the creation of a Kalamkari painting, I started my research and found out that Kalamkari is one of the oldest forms of visual arts of South India. This school of art had its origin more than 3,000 years ago at a place called Srikalahasti inAndhra Pradesh. Shikalahasti is a small town closer to more popular city of Tirupati. The word Kalamkari originates from the Hindi words ‘Kalam’, which is pen and ‘Kari’, which means to work. In other words, Kalamkari means pen work. Kalamkari is a traditional art form of Andhra Pradesh.

In earlier years, these paintings rendered on cotton cloth essentially depicted murals based on themes drawn from Hindu mythology. The art received a lot of patronage from the temples. The temple walls were decorated with Kalamkari wall hangings telling the stories of Hindu epics. The learned men in the earlier days used these paintings as visuals for narrating the stories. Since the art form gave artist the freedom to render the paintings on large formats, they indulged in making large murals with lots of details and fine forms.

The process of making Kalamkari is laborious and also involves a lot of attention to details. A cotton cloth forms the base on which the work is carried out. Kalamkari is an ancient skill that involves a multi-process production beginning with treating the cloth, drawing the figure freehand, applying the colors and finishing the art piece. Every stageof Kalamkari painting involves tedious efforts and an artistic orientation. Extensive use of natural materials makes the art very exclusive and eco-friendly. The cloth is finally washed in flowing water and dried. The dried piece of artwork is normally stretched, framed and wall hung. The Kalamkari work adds aesthetics and beauty to interiors of home and eye-catching art gallery with its resplendent colors and intricacy.

Like in many other traditional art and craft forms, there are families who are engaged in this profession traditionally. The entire family is involved in the various processes involved in the creation of Kalamkari painting. Usually, the head of the family happens to be the master artist and he decides on the themes to be drawn. He is supported by others in the family for completing the work.