The Art of Kalamkari
Andhra Pradesh, India, is the birthplace of the traditional textile printing technique known as Kalamkari, sometimes spelled Qalamkari. During the Vijayanagara Empire's rule in South India, Kalamkari became more and more popular. Kari, which means "art," was given by the Mughals when they found it during their rule over the Deccan, while Kalam means "pen." In the twenty-three-step Kalamkari process, only natural dyes are employed.In India, Kalamkari comes in two primary forms. Andhra Pradesh's Srikalahasti town is known for its hand-painted architecture, while Machilipatnam is known for its block-printed architecture. The Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam styles were registered in 2005 and 2008, respectively, as Geographical Indications of items (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, under handicraft items.
The complete Srikalahasti style of Kalamkari is done by hand, using a pen called a "kalam" to fill in the colors and draw the subject freely. It is manufactured in Srikalahasti, which is in the Andhra Pradesh district of Tirupati. This style, which was popular in temples that focused on establishing distinctive religious identities, can be seen on scrolls, temple hangings, chariot banners, and representations of Hindu epics and deities (such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Purana). Block-painting a cloth with vegetable dye is a technique used in the Machilipatnam or Pedana Kalamkari styles. It is manufactured in the Andhra Pradesh town of Machilipatnam, which is located in the Krishna district.In the state of Andhra Pradesh, the traditional textile printing technique known as Kalamkari originated over 3,000 years ago. The fact that a resist-dyed piece of linen was found on a silver vase during the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization's Harappa site (c. 2600 BC) attests to the importance of the Pattachitra tradition. Reminiscent of the blended Persian and Greek design traditions, the first known piece of Kalamkari fabric is said to have been found in the tomb of the Scyths Seven Brothers of Lazia in the fourth century BC. It featured a vine pattern on the edge.
The Peacock, Kalamkari painting by Sudheer
Machilipatnam is the birthplace of the Kalamkari architectural style. To share Hindu mythological tales with the villagers, musicians and painters known as chitrakars traveled from one hamlet to another. They used plant-based dyes and enormous bolts of canvas that were painted on the spot using basic tools to illustrate their stories. Comparable to Buddhist Thangka paintings, the ones found in Hindu temples are also sizable panels of Kalamkari that illustrate various scenes from Hindu mythology and iconography.
It was termed "Qualamkars" by the Mughals, who supported this craft in the provinces of Coromandel and Golconda, from which the term "Kalamkari" originated.Through the support of the Golconda sultanate and the Mughals, the Pedana Kalamkari craft, which is produced in Pedana, close to Machilipatnam, in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, developed. Persian art throughout the Islamic era had an influence on this style because of the aforementioned support.
An intricate “tree of life” depiction made by P Ramachandraiah
Srikalahasti Kalamkari
Srikalahasti in the Tirupati district is where the Kalahasti style is manufactured. The subject is drawn freely, the colors are filled in, and the entire process is done by hand with a "kalam" or pen. This style, which was popular in temples that focused on establishing distinctive religious identities, can be seen on scrolls, temple hangings, chariot banners, and representations of Hindu epics and deities. Because of this, it has a unique religious character and flourishes when associated with mythology. The divine figures of Brahma, Saraswati, Ganesh, Durga, Shiva, and Parvati serve as the primary inspiration for the fabrics' appealing color combinations, which typically depict characters from Indian mythology. Typically, the Kalahasti artisans create scrolls, temple backcloths, wall hangings, chariot banners, and other such items by portraying the gods, scenes from the epic Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Puranas, and other mythical classics on the cloth.
These paintings taught the average man about the mythological nature of gods and goddesses in ancient times. As they traveled from village to village, groups of singers, musicians, and painters known as chitrakattis told the epic stories of Hindu mythology. They gradually used plant-based dyes and big bolts of canvas painted on the spot using crude methods to represent their stories throughout history. Therefore, it is thought that the first Kalamkari was born. It was registered under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, as one of Andhra Pradesh's geographical indications for handmade goods. As the inaugural head of the All India Handicrafts Board, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay popularized the art form, which is largely responsible for its current prominence.
Machilipatnam Kalamkari (Pedana Kalamkari)
The little village of Pedana is only 13 kilometers away from Machilipatnam. The sponsorship and closeness to the Golconda Sultanate and the Mughals, however, give the Machilipatnam paintings a Persian character. They were therefore prohibited from using Hindu religious symbols. The intricate leaf designs, the cartwheel, various lotus flower forms, creepers, birds like peacocks and parrots, and the interlacing pattern of leaves and flowers are all examples of Persian themes that are commonly used in traditional block prints in this art form. The tree of life is one topic that they find very appealing. Their primary products are scarves, clothing materials, file and bag covers, wall hangings, table and bed linens, and curtain lengths. With the rise of the Mughal Empire following Aurangzeb's conquest of the area in 1687, a new form of Machilipatnam art developed that featured panels that depicted the emperors' personal portraits as well as sagas of their reign, day-to-day activities, and the opulence of their courts. In accordance with the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999, it was registered as one of Andhra Pradesh's geographical indications in the craft goods category.
Middle forms
During the Middle Ages, the phrase was also used to describe the production of any cotton fabric, made in many parts of India, that was patterned using vegetable dyes and block-printed by hand. The kalam (pen) is used in areas where the fabric is block printed to apply certain colors and draw finer details.
Technique
To make Kalamkari, it must first be steeped in buffalo milk and astringents before being sun-dried. The cloth is then submerged in an alizarin bath after the red, black, brown, and violet parts of the motifs have been defined using a mordant. The next step is to bathe the cloth in indigo dye and wrap it in wax, excluding the areas that will be painted blue. After that, the wax is scraped off, and the remaining portions are painted by hand, much like Indonesian batik . Artists use a bamboo or date palm stick that has been sharpened at one end and a bundle of fine hair tied to it as a brush or pen to create pattern outlines.
A saree being hand-painted with natural dyes – Seen here are motifs of flowers, leaves and peacocks on a black backgound
Iron, tin, copper, and alum mineral salts, as well as other roots and leaves, are used to extract colors for the fabric's dyes. Crushed flowers, seeds, herbs, and cow dung are used to create natural dyes with a variety of effects. In Kalamkari, myrobalan is utilized in addition to buffalo milk. Another application for myrobalan is to eliminate the peculiar buffalo milk odor. The fabric's color or dye can be readily fixed while it is being treated with the fixing chemicals found in Myrobalan. Alum is utilized in the production of natural colors and in the fabric treatment process. In Kalamkari fabric, alum guarantees the color's durability.
In particular, epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata are portrayed by Kalamkari. However, the Kalamkari style has been used recently to illustrate Buddhist art and Buddha. Many artistically pleasing figures, including Buddha, flowers, little animals, musical instruments, and a few Hindu symbols like the Swastika, have recently been added to Kalamkari.
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