Kalamkari Art: Seventeen Steps to Perfection

Kalamkari means craftsmanship in pen and hails prominently from Andhra Pradesh among other clusters in nearby regions. This textile-based art form has historic roots that go back to the Mughal period and Golconda Sultanate in South India. This style has firm links with the religious traditions of the community. It is essentially transmuted into scroll paintings, temple hangings and banners, demonstrating religious themes, deities and scenes from the popular Hindu epics. Rendered in natural pigment dyes, a seventeen-step process is followed to create a single work. Kalamkari textiles were also a prized export during historic times when they were coveted by patrons both in India and abroad.