Adventures

Kalamkari is an exquisite ancient craft of painted and printed fabrics. It derives its name from "Kalam" meaning Pen, and "Kari" meaning work, literally Pen-work. It is hand painting as well as block printing with vegetable dyes. Very old, this art knew it's apogee in the rich person kingdom of Golconde [ the current city of Hyderabad,Andra Pradesh]. It has evolved through trial and error over the last 3000 years. Techniques of craftsmanship in Kalamkari were handed down within the families from generation to generation. In Andra Pradesh, both the Masulipatnam and Srikalahasti villages are recognised as major centres for Kalamkari painting. Thus came the two styles of Kalamkari painting - Masulipatnam style ans Srikalahasti style.

Kalighat painting derives its name from its place of originKalighat, in Kolkata - the erstwhile capital of British India. This painting form has its roots in the cultural upheavals of nineteenth century colonial Bengal. At this time a huge number of village folk had migrated from rural Bengal and settled in and around the famous Kalighat temple. Amongst them, many were potters and scroll painters. These were the people whose painting style and themes later came to be known as Kalighat painting. They used watercolors and painted on inexpensive mill papers. Brushes were made from squirrel and calf hair. Cheap color pigments were applied in transparent tones, which was totally different from the traditional of Indian tempera. With shaded contours and articulated gesture and movement, the figures attained a plaque-like effect on a neutral unpainted ground. The style is characterized by formal and linear economy, meaningful gestures, and quality brushwork and flawless rhythmic strokes. The ...

Alpana or Alpono designs are drawn during festivals and Hindu rituals in Bengal, Orissa and other parts of Eastern India. It also drawn during Kojari Lakshmi Puja to welcome Goddess Lakshmi. The designs drawn during Lakshmi Puja display the feet of Goddess Lakshmi.

Dakshinamurthy is one of the well known iconic representaions of Shiva and this form represents Him as the Supreme Teacher. Dakshinamurthy's uniqueness as a teacher lies in the fact that he teaches through silence, through his all-pervasive Consciouness.

This folk art painting is known as ‘Saura painting’. The ‘Saura’ tribe of Orissa makes these paintings. The theme of this folk painting has been drawn from their everyday life, showing several rows of human forms engaged in daily or ceremonial activities. In alternating set of rows, differing moods of dancing and warring people are portrayed. Seated on horses or elephants, men go on wars to protect the natural rhythm of life back home. At the base of the painting, we see men around a tree, signifying the close connection between man and nature.

Pithora Paintings are much more than colorful images on walls for the tribes of Rathwas, Bhilals, and Naykas of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh . They signify the advent of an auspicious occasion (like weddings, childbirth, festivals) in the family or community. An art form, which essentially conveys the joy and celebration of a community, has to reflect the collective mood of it, and Pithora paintings with their colors and animated figures mirrors the sentiments of their creators. The essence of a Pithora painting lies in its earthiness; everything from the theme to the execution has the ethnicity of rural India. Even materials used are quite exotic: the colors are prepared by mixing pigments with milk and liquor prepared from the auspicious Mahuda tree. Indeed the joie de vivre of the community couldn't have found a more suitable mean of expression. The tribes The tribes of Rathwas , Bhils and Nayaks of central Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh practice this Art form. The Rathwas have a dis...

Kerala mural paintings are the frescos depicting mythology and legends, which are drawn on the walls of temples and churches in South India, principally in Kerala. Ancient temples, churches and palaces in Kerala, South India, display an abounding tradition of mural paintings mostly dating back between the 9th to 12th centuries CE when this form of art enjoyed Royal patronage.