Kalamkari literally means 'Kalam' - pen, and 'Kari' - work, or art work done using a pen. Vegetable dyes are used to create designs on cloth. This particular style of dyeing flourished at Kalahasti, 80 miles north of Chennai in Southeast Andhra Pradesh. Kalamkari was also adopted at Masulipatnam, 200 miles east of Hyderabad. Kalamkari designs consist primarily of epic Vedic scenes, with figures of Deities embellished by rich borders for use in temples.
Each of the following original art works are painted onto cotton using 100% vegetable dye colors, and are delivered unframed. Click on each of the images below for larger detail images.
