Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Exquisite Paintings
India is known for its rich painting history. Reproductions of Indian miniature paintings are
widely available, but the quality varies: the cheaper ones have less detail and are made with
inferior materials.
In regions such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu, you'll come across miniature paintings on
leaf skeletons that portray domestic life, rural scenes and deities. In Andhra Pradesh,
cher-
iyal
paintings, in bright, primary colours, were originally made as scrolls for travelling
storytellers.
The artists' community of Raghurajpur near Puri (Odisha) preserves the age-old art of
patachitra
painting. Cotton or
tassar
(silk cloth) is covered with a mixture of gum and
chalk; it's then polished, and images of deities and scenes from Hindu legends are painted
on with exceedingly fine brushes. Odisha also produces
chitra pothi,
where images are
etched onto dried palm-leaf sections with a fine stylus. Some South Indian bazaars sell
these.
Bihar's unique folk art is Mithila (or Madhubani) painting, an ancient art form preserved
by the women of Madhubani. These captivating paintings are most easily found in Patna
but are also sold in big city emporiums around the country.
Exquisite
thangkas
(rectangular Tibetan paintings on cloth) of Tantric Buddhist deities
and ceremonial mandalas are sold in Tibetan Buddhist areas. Some perfectly reproduce the
glory of the murals in India's medieval gompas (Tibetan Buddhist monasteries); others are
simpler. Prices vary, but bank on at least ?4000 for a decent quality
thangka
of A3 size, and
a lot more for large, intricate
thangkas
. The selling of antique
thangkas
is illegal, and you
would be unlikely to find the real thing anyway.
In big cities like Mumbai (Bombay) and Bengaluru (Bangalore), look out for shops and
galleries selling contemporary paintings by local artists.
In Andhra Pradesh, intricately drawn, graphic cloth paintings called
kalamkari
depict deities and historic
events.
