Cheriyal Paintings: A Glimpse Into Their Past and Their Present

Indian culture is very vibrant and that is why it never ceases to capture the curiosity of the world. Out of the many folk arts that have originated in India, Cheriyal paintings are the most exotic. They come from the small village of Cheriyal which falls in the present-day Warangal district of Telangana and that is how they got their name.

It is an ancient style of painting that has survived ages and it finally got its due in 2008 when the Government of India bestowed the Geographical Indication tag to it. Cheriyal paintings are colorful and mostly use primary colors only. The trademark feature of a Cheriyal scroll painting is that it has a background that is red in color and a border that has floral motifs.

They usually depict scenes from Hindu epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, incidents mentioned in the Puranas like the Shiv Purana, Garuda Purana, and the Markandeya Purana, and other mythological events like the Krishna Leela. Apart from this they also depict daily scenes from the lives of the common folk. It must be noted that the figures depicted in Cheriyal scroll paintings are always facing each other.

Humans are depicted as having pink-toned skin. However, deities are depicted in other hues like blue is used for Lord Krishna, Black for Lord Ram, and green is used for Lord Hanuman. Traditionally images of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Saraswati are painted first which is followed by images of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, and other deities.

History of Cheriyal Paintings -

Cheriyal paintings originated in 1625 AD. They were produced on scrolls made of fabric where the cloth would usually be at least 3 feet wide. This art was practiced only by the people of the Nakashi tribe. Cheriyal paintings were initially used as a means of storytelling. They were used as instruments of education for the uneducated.

Bards would travel from town to town and would narrate stories depicted in Cheriyal paintings with the help of dancers who enacted the scenes from the paintings using masks and puppets and musicians who used musical instruments like the harmonium and tabla.

Present-Day Cheriyal Scroll Paintings -

Currently, this art form is practiced only in Hyderabad, Telangana which is almost 90 kilometers away from Cheriyal and it is very few people who are carrying on the legacy of creating Cheriyal scroll paintings. Earlier longer scrolls were produced but now shorter scrolls are produced because of shortage of space in the houses of people and because of the advent of other forms of entertainment like television and the internet. While earlier naturally made canvas and dyes were used to make these paintings, now artists don’t mind using artificial colors on synthetic canvas.

Method of Creating Cheriyal Paintings -

☀ The traditional method of creating Cheriyal paintings involves using natural elements.

☀ Fabric is used as a canvas for these paintings. Usually, Khadi is used to make the canvas.

☀ To make the fabric firm it is treated with a paste of tamarind seeds, rice starch, tree gum, sawdust, and white mud.

☀ Three layers of this paste are applied and this stage usually takes days.

☀ Then the dyes are made from natural elements like turmeric for yellow, charcoal, and lamp soot for black, sea shells for white, Indigo for blue, etc.

☀ After that, the illustration is drawn on the canvas with a very light hand and is outlined using a brush. Then the colors are filled in one by one in the figures.

☀ The final stage involves applying a coat of gum water as varnish. This is done to preserve the illustration.

Making of Cheriyal Painting (source: caleidoscope)

Wrapping Up

Cheriyal paintings are a part of India's cultural heritage. They have stood the test of time and continue to mesmerize the masses with their vibrant colors and beautiful depiction of Indian mythology and sometimes the daily life of common people. Over a period of time Cheriyal paintings have gone through a lot of transformation. Natural elements have been replaced by synthetic ones and the size of the scrolls has also reduced

However, with everything that it has been through, the art form continues to stay relevant and still has admirers. It captures the essence of India and is practiced by very few but immensely talented artists today who have succeeded in keeping it alive.