When folks consider Kalamkari, the first phrases that come to their minds are Srikalahasti or Machilipattanam and never Karuppur or Thanjavur, although the artwork type has its roots in the latter cities too. “Kalamkari first found royal patronage in Tamil Nadu in 1540, when Sevappa Nayak, the first Nayaka ruler of Thanjavur , brought a contingent of artists from Karuppur to adorn Thanjavur’s palaces and temples ,” says Kalamkari artist Rajmohan, son of National Award-winning Kalamkari artist R. Emperumal. These artists had been descendants of migrants from Andhra Pradesh, the place Kalamkari originated.
Also often known as Chitrapadaam (‘chitra’ which means image and ‘padaam’, tracing), the artwork type was as soon as used to depict tales from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It was later used to create tapestries for palaces, temple hangings, panels for door frames, canopies, umbrella covers, door hangings and tubular hangings and even adorning temple chariots. It finally developed into wearable artwork like sarees and duppattas, and utility gadgets equivalent to luggage and bookmarks.
Touch of modernity
A Kalamkari artwork work created by Rajmohan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
As Rajmohan exhibits us the works of his ancestors, together with a tapestry that’s greater than 400-years-old, he says, “I recreate old pieces with a touch of modernity, yet try to keep alive the methodology adopted by my ancestors. For instance, he uses freshly-obtained paints or dyes the same day. The paints do not have a shelf life, as they are derived from nature. I do not use paints or dyes containing preservatives as they do notmatch the depth and richness that naturally-derived ones impart.” The handmade pens or kalams that he makes use of are crafted from bamboo and tamarind twigs. While bamboo twigs are used as it’s, the tamarind ones are burnt and coated in soil in a single day earlier than use.
Rajmohan’s household has been practising kalamkari for greater than 800 years now. A BFA graduate, who additionally studied filmmaking from MGR Film Institute, Rajmohan learnt the kalamkari artwork from his father. “There were no formal classes, I learnt by observing him. My son also learns the same way”, he says. “The art form has been slowly fading into obscurity. When royalty was abolished in India, the patronage disappeared, and with it, the livelihood of many artists. They were given land and money, but not the means to learn another trade, and hence languished”, he shares.
Contibuing the household custom
Artisans working at the Kalamkari unit, run by Rajmohan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Not far-off from Rajmohan’s residence, Lakshmi Narayanan retains the artwork alive differently. “This is an endangered art,” says Lakshmi Narayanan, who runs a unit with Kalamkari employees in his two-storeyed dwelling. Narayanan, whose household has been practising the artwork type that obtained a GI (geographical indication) tag for greater than 400 years, explains how the motifs and colors set the Karuppur type of Kalamkari aside from the Srikalahasti type. Narayanan, who started working as a Kalamkari artist at the age of 15, feels that the market stays unsure even immediately as handmade gadgets are slowly regaining appreciation from clients. “We wait for over 20 days for profits to come our way. And if there is a small error, then we lose up to ₹ 17,000 or even ₹20,000 — that is how much a fully-worked kalamkari saree can cost” he shares.
“People who buy it need to understand the volume of work that goes into making a saree or even a dupatta. First, the design is traced using charcoal. It is then treated with a mixture of cow’s milk, starched and dried. Then, we fill in the black colour, wash and dry it; the process is repeated for each colour ,” he explains. “Black is derived from rusted iron, yellow from turmeric, and red from cinnamon,” he shares. A single saree can take 15 to 20 days, relying on the intricacy of the design. “Sales mostly happen through word-of-mouth,” he says. “Sometimes, boutiques approach us, but sporadically. We are the only family in this village that makes and sells Kalamkari products commercially,” he says and provides that each his sons (nonetheless finding out) will finally take up the craft.
Now, with quiet persistence, each Rajmohan and Narayanan be sure that this endangered artwork will not be forgotten. They’re not simply preserving a method however a practice that’s handed on via generations.
Published – June 05, 2025 07:10 pm IST
