Sri Kalahasti Kalamkari Analysis

ABOUT THE CRAFT In 15th century under the reign of Shri Krishnadevsaraya kalamkari as an art flourished and was in its peak, the king was hugely supportive about the craft. However after the king’s death no one seemed carried forward the art publicly, but they continued to pursue it secretly for they didn’t want the customs and traditions to be faded away. The art when seeming to be exinct, was rediscovered by Kamaladevi Chatapadhyay while reading a book, where she got cues of the art still being practised in Sri kalahasti. She found only 2 people who were practising kalamkari, named Arana Kalappa and Jonalagada Laxmaiya . She and the Government convinced them and offered funds to educate people about craft. So with their help, the 8 batches were trained by them. After a period of time the government stopped funding them and a different organization took over.

The Kalamkari tradition chiefly consists of scenes from Hindu mythology. Figures of deities with rich border embellishments were created for the temples. In Masulipatnam, the weavers were involved in the block printing art,

There are certain parameters to be followed whenever gods and goddesses are drawn, like the eyes and the mouth are the last thing that should be done to complete the painting. The Chariot for each god is also differently decorated. The most embellished cart is for Lord Krishna. Even the backdrop for every god has a specific colour and motif. They perform a puja ceremony as per their beliefs before the first and the last colour preparations. Most of the artisans have quit their education and learning and practise Kalamkari with their own interest. Also, the river swarnamukhi flows in the village which is a source of clean and flowing water which is a key for practicing