Kalam Kari
Kalamkari literally means, Kalam - pen & kari - work, i.e., art work done using a pen on Fabric. Kalamkari Painting widly consists Hindu mythlogical themes from epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Srimad Bhagwat and Puranas.
The Kalahasti tradition which developed in the temple region mostly concentrated on themes form Hindu mythology, epics (Ramayana, Mahabharatha), images of Gods and heroes. The artists use a bamboo or date palm stick pointed at one end with a bundle of fine hair attached to this pointed end to serve as the brush or pen. The dyes are obtained by extracting colors form parts of plants - roots, leaves along with mineral salts of iron, tin, copper, alum, etc., which are used as mordents. Karrupur is a style of Kalamkari that developed in the Thanjavur region during the Maratha rule. The Kalamkari work was a further embellishment to the gold brocade work in the woven fabric, which was used as sarees & dhotis by the royal family during the period of Raja Sarfoji and later Raja Shivaji. After independence of India, the Handicrafts Development Board took up the task of reviving this art, which had dwindled due to lack of buyers. |