Kalamkari
Encyclopedia
Kalamkari or Qalamkari is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton
textile
, produced in parts of India
. The word is derived from the Persian
words kalam (pen
) and kari (craftmanship), meaning drawing with a pen.
The craft made at Pedana
near by Machilipatnam in Krishna district
, Andhra Pradesh
, evolved with patronage of the Mughals
and the Golconda sultanate
.
There are two distinctive styles of kalamkari art in India - one, the Srikalahasti
style and the other, the Machalipatnam style of art. The Srikalahasti style of Kalamkari, wherein the "kalam" or pen is used for free hand drawing of the subject and filling in the colours, is entirely hand worked. This style flowered around temples and their patronage and so had an almost religious identity - scrolls, temple hangings, chariot
banners and the like, depicted deities and scenes taken from the great Hindu epics - Ramayana
. Mahabarata, Puranas
and the mythological classics. This style owes its present status to Smt. Kamaladevi Chattopadhayay who popularised the art as the first Chairperson of the All India Handicrafts Board. Only natural dye
s are used in Kalamkari and it involves seventeen painstaking steps.
The J. J. School of Art, Mumbai
is one such beneficiary. They are presently experimenting with this art form on Silk Ikat (i.e., tie and dye textiles popular in Pochampally, Andhra Pradesh).
, Hyderabad, in the Middle Ages.
Kalamkari art has been practised by many families in Andhra Pradesh and has constituted their livelihood.
IntroductionKalamkari is the ancient art of decorating cloth with the aid of a Kalam or pen. A term mainly used to describe cotton fabrics patterned through the medium of Vegetable dyes by free-hand painting and block-printing, this category of fabric now covers a wide range of textiles produced in many regions of India. The term Kalamkari is however applied to the fabrics produced in the Southern districts only because the ancient tradition of patterning with the Kalam is still practised here. Even where the fabric is block printed the Kalam is used to draw finer details and for application of some colours. The Mughal who patronized this craft in the Coromandel and Golconda province called the practitioners of this craft "Qua-lamkars" and the distinctive term “Kalamkari", for goods produced in this region persists even to this day.
In ancient times, groups of singers, musicians and painters, called chitrakattis, moved village to village to tell the village dwellers, the great stories of Hindu mythology
. Progressively, during the course of history, they illustrated their accounts using large bolts of canvas painted on the spot with rudimentary means and dyes extracted from plants. Thus,the first Kalamkari had been born. In the same way, one found in the Hindu temples large panels of Kalamkari depicting the episodes of Indian mythology, akin to the stained glass
es of the Christian cathedral
s.
Kalamkari had a certain decline, then it was revived in India and abroad for its craftsmanship. Since the 18th century the British liked the decorative element for clothing.
) and cow milk. Contours and reasons are then drawn with a point in bamboo
soaked in a mixture of jagri fermented
and water; one by one these are applied, then the vegetable dyes. After applying each color, the Kalamkari is washed. Thus, each fabric can undergo up to 20 washings. Various effects are obtained by using cow dung
, seeds, plants and crushed flowers.
Myrobalan is not a resin. Myrobalan, because of its high tannin content is used along with buffalo milk to fix the natural dyes on cotton.
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
, produced in parts of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The word is derived from the Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
words kalam (pen
Pen
A pen is a device used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but...
) and kari (craftmanship), meaning drawing with a pen.
The craft made at Pedana
Pedana
Pedana is a town, Mandal and a municipality in Krishna district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.-Geography:Pedana is located at . It has an average elevation of 0.5 metres .-Demographics:...
near by Machilipatnam in Krishna district
Krishna district
Krishna District is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. It is named after the Krishna River, the third longest river that flows within India, flows through the district and joins Bay of Bengal here in this district. It has a population of 4,529,009 of which 32.08% is urban as of...
, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, evolved with patronage of the Mughals
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
and the Golconda sultanate
Golkonda
Golkonda or Golla konda a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda , is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad.The most important builder of Golkonda was a Hindu Kakatiya King...
.
There are two distinctive styles of kalamkari art in India - one, the Srikalahasti
Srikalahasti
Srikalahasti , is a holy town and a municipality near Tirupati in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the river Swarnamukhi. It is also informally and wrongly referred to as Kalahasti...
style and the other, the Machalipatnam style of art. The Srikalahasti style of Kalamkari, wherein the "kalam" or pen is used for free hand drawing of the subject and filling in the colours, is entirely hand worked. This style flowered around temples and their patronage and so had an almost religious identity - scrolls, temple hangings, chariot
Temple car
Temple cars are chariots used to carry representations of Hindu gods. The car is usually used on festival days, when many people pull the cart....
banners and the like, depicted deities and scenes taken from the great Hindu epics - Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
. Mahabarata, Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
and the mythological classics. This style owes its present status to Smt. Kamaladevi Chattopadhayay who popularised the art as the first Chairperson of the All India Handicrafts Board. Only natural dye
Natural dye
Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources – roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood — and other organic sources such as fungi and lichens....
s are used in Kalamkari and it involves seventeen painstaking steps.
The J. J. School of Art, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
is one such beneficiary. They are presently experimenting with this art form on Silk Ikat (i.e., tie and dye textiles popular in Pochampally, Andhra Pradesh).
History
Kalamkari craft is very old. This art knew its apogee in the wealthy Golconda sultanateGolkonda
Golkonda or Golla konda a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda , is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad.The most important builder of Golkonda was a Hindu Kakatiya King...
, Hyderabad, in the Middle Ages.
Kalamkari art has been practised by many families in Andhra Pradesh and has constituted their livelihood.
IntroductionKalamkari is the ancient art of decorating cloth with the aid of a Kalam or pen. A term mainly used to describe cotton fabrics patterned through the medium of Vegetable dyes by free-hand painting and block-printing, this category of fabric now covers a wide range of textiles produced in many regions of India. The term Kalamkari is however applied to the fabrics produced in the Southern districts only because the ancient tradition of patterning with the Kalam is still practised here. Even where the fabric is block printed the Kalam is used to draw finer details and for application of some colours. The Mughal who patronized this craft in the Coromandel and Golconda province called the practitioners of this craft "Qua-lamkars" and the distinctive term “Kalamkari", for goods produced in this region persists even to this day.
In ancient times, groups of singers, musicians and painters, called chitrakattis, moved village to village to tell the village dwellers, the great stories of Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
. Progressively, during the course of history, they illustrated their accounts using large bolts of canvas painted on the spot with rudimentary means and dyes extracted from plants. Thus,the first Kalamkari had been born. In the same way, one found in the Hindu temples large panels of Kalamkari depicting the episodes of Indian mythology, akin to the stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
es of the Christian cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s.
Kalamkari had a certain decline, then it was revived in India and abroad for its craftsmanship. Since the 18th century the British liked the decorative element for clothing.
Technique
The cotton fabric gets its glossiness by immersing it for an hour in a mixture of myrabalam (resinResin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
) and cow milk. Contours and reasons are then drawn with a point in bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
soaked in a mixture of jagri fermented
Fermentation (biochemistry)
Fermentation is the process of extracting energy from the oxidation of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, using an endogenous electron acceptor, which is usually an organic compound. In contrast, respiration is where electrons are donated to an exogenous electron acceptor, such as oxygen,...
and water; one by one these are applied, then the vegetable dyes. After applying each color, the Kalamkari is washed. Thus, each fabric can undergo up to 20 washings. Various effects are obtained by using cow dung
Cow dung
Cow dung is the waste product of bovine animal species. These species include domestic cattle , bison , yak and water buffalo. Cow dung is the undigested residue of plant matter which has passed through the animal's gut. The resultant faecal matter is rich in minerals...
, seeds, plants and crushed flowers.
Myrobalan is not a resin. Myrobalan, because of its high tannin content is used along with buffalo milk to fix the natural dyes on cotton.
External links
- Fabindia feature
- http://www.speakingwithhands.com/article_details.php?aid=44"Kalamkari" by R.L. ShepR.L. ShepRobert Lee "Robb" Shep is an American writer, publisher and textile researcher. He is commonly known by his nom de plume, R. L. Shep...
] - Kalmkari art
- Speaking with Hands