Kalamkari
Q. Kalamkari is- Published on 22 Apr 16a. Hand Painted cotton textile
b. Embroidery with gold and jewels
c. A unique cloth weaving technique
d. Art of carving in stones
ANSWER: Hand Painted cotton textile
- Kalamkari or Qalamkari is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile, produced in parts of India. The word is derived from the Persian words ghalam (pen) and kari (craftmanship), meaning drawing with a pen (Ghalamkar).
- There are two distinctive styles of kalamkari art in India - the Srikalahasti style and the Machilipatnam style.
- The Machilipatnam Kalamkari craft made at Pedana near by Machilipatnam in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, evolved with patronage of the Mughals and the Golconda sultanate. Kalamkari art has been practiced by many families in Andhra Pradesh.
- Only natural dyes are used in Kalamkari. Dyes for the cloth are obtained by extracting colors from various roots, leaves, and mineral salts of iron, tin, copper, and alum.
- Kalamkari specifically depicts epics - Ramayana. Mahabarata, Puranas and the mythological classics. However, there are recent applications of the Kalamkari technique to depict Buddha and Buddhist art forms.
- Alum is used in making natural dyes and also while treating the fabric. Alum ensures the stability of the color in Kalamkari fabric.
