cheriyal paintings

Cheriyal Paintings
Cheriyal in Warangal District, located 100 odd kms from Hyderabad One of the most distinctive features that makes cherial folk paintings stand apart, is the narrative format expressed through a rich scheme of colours. Themes from the epics are created using traditional techniques on a scroll of cloth that may run to many meters in length. Cherial paintings or scroll paintings are used by a community known as 'kaki padagollu' that uses this medium as a visual aid to narrate stories from ramayana and mahabaratha. Presently, the artists are painting sequences in smaller sizes not only on cloth but also on cartboard, plywood and paper.Cheriyal Scrolls depict stories from the Puranas and other Hindu legends and thrived primarily under the patronage of the Kakatiyas of Warangal
these scrolls used to be a very important part of the sociological and cultural milieu of Telengana (modern day districts of Karimnagar, Warangal, Mahbubnagar, Medak and Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh). And painted to narrate legends about the origin of a particular caste and the heroic deeds of one of its legendary heroes.
Some of the scrolls did depict episodes from Hindu mythology, but as is typical of India's cultural mosaic, the heroes of the caste in question were painted into the narrative through the brush strokes of the artist.

As is also typical of the great Indian tradition of storytelling, these scrolls were used as a visual aid by picture storyteller minstrels, usually to the accompaniment of folk songs and music.
Some of the scrolls did depict episodes from Hindu mythology, but as is typical of India's cultural mosaic, the heroes of the caste in question were painted into the narrative through the brush strokes of the artist.

As is also typical of the great Indian tradition of storytelling, these scrolls were used as a visual aid by picture storyteller minstrels, usually to the accompaniment of folk songs and music.
Of the numerous genres of Indian and south Indian art and crafts, the Cherial Scroll paintings of Andhra Pradesh is really an exciting exception. Practised mainly in Cherial of Warangal district, this painting style has its origin in Rajasthan. Widely used as wall decorations, the Cherial Scroll paintings have a different angle to its' creation. This traditional art form are inseparable part of the profession of the story telling community known as Kaki Padagollu. They utilize the scroll paintings as visual aids to tell their stories.
The Kaki Padagollu present their stories to different communities with the help of the Cherial Scroll paintings, which includes mythological stories from Madelu Puranam, Ramayanam, Gowda Pudanam and Mahabharatam. The stories come alive by paintings on clothes, which come in the form of scrolls. Each scroll can run into several meters. However to meet the modern art lovers' and public demand, the Nakkash or the painters are making smaller versions at affordable prices. They are also using card boards, plywood, hard board and paper instead of cloth but keeping the basic themes and traditional characters intact. These Nakashi paintings are in great demand with not only