After Kalamkari’s art skills, perhaps the Cherial painting is the best art contribution to the Andhra region. In the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, which is now a state itself, there is a village called Cherial.
Its distance from Hyderabad is less than 100 km. On our way back from Warangal we took a short halt at Cherial. The main purpose of this stop was to meet various artisans of this famous Pattachitra artwork and probably to buy some pictures.
We were able to get in touch with the National Award-winning artist Mr. D. Vaikuntam who hails from a family of painters.
hyderabad to srisailam taxi service
With the help of Google Map, we also reached Cherial. There the son of Sri D. Vaikuntham met us and took us to his workshop, guiding us through the narrow streets of the village. This workshop was set up in a room within his residence.
National Award Winner
It was written on the notice board outside the residence of Shri D. Vaikuntham ji that this is the residence of the National Award winner.
I had anticipated that many residents of this village would be associated with this art. But only a few families of the village are associated with the painting of this art style.
We went inside the workshop of Shri D. Vaikuntham ji. The workshop seemed to be of a very simple level. There was a slanted wooden table above which was hanging an electric bulb.
There were some wooden shelves fixed to the mural, inside which were kept the finished pictures and the items needed for the painting.
Some awards, citations, calendars, and some tourism pamphlets depicting his painting style were hanging here and there on the reefs. The family of Mr. D. Vaikuntam was showing us his works very politely.
He said that at that time some of his best works were sent to an exhibition. So we could not see them.
Cherial Painting
Cherial painting is a type of Pattachitra art, which looks like a subtle painting depicting popular mythology of the Puranas. The background of these pictures is mostly red.
Pattachitra always begins with the picture of Ganapati. After him, there is a picture of Saraswati. The painters worship these two gods before starting any new painting.
After that, different scenes of the story are depicted. Depending on the size of the Pattachitra, there may be one scene or several scenes in a row.
This type of folk art was found in different parts of India. In my opinion, the decoration of the walls of a museum or the residence of a rich man was not used for the composition of Pattachitra. Like other ancient folk art styles of India, this style was also an integral part of the life of Indians.
traditional narrator
In ancient times, traditional narrators used to use these Pattachitras along with singing to tell their stories. A similar tradition is also seen in Rajasthan where singers used to narrate the stories of the local deity Pabuji with the help of Phad paintings which are huge paintings. I was wondering where this art style eventually came from.
Cherial Painting – The Tale of 7 Tribes
Based on my limited knowledge of the arts, I inferred that they depict only mythological tales, especially the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. But Shri D. Vaikuntham Ji told me that he actually brings to life the life of the 7 tribes of this region in these paintings.
Those tribes include toddy collectors, washermen, Chamars, barbers, weavers, fishermen, and farmers. Some of these tribes also have sub-castes with their own deities, ritual rituals, and stories. The paintings of these painters depict the daily life of these tribes which is based on their work.
For example, a fruit vendor’s day begins by plucking fruits from different trees. After that, he sells those fruits. Similarly, the toddy collector climbs the palm trees in the morning and makes grooves on them.
Hangs pots to collect the discharge leaking from them. After a few hours, he brings those pitchers full of palm juice and hangs them in his courtyard.
After some time the juice is ready for sale. These paintings depict the stories of these tribes which are based on their daily activities, rituals, deities, their heroes, etc.
color
Traditionally, the colors used in these paintings were often derived from special stones. Colors were made by grinding those stones.
No artificial colors are used in these which are easily available in the market. They no longer have to bear the trouble of preparing them. But some official works are still made with traditionally prepared dyes.
storyteller and singer
We were told that there are very few singers in Cherial who tell these stories through their singing. The few singers who are left in the village, in return for their service, expect heavy remuneration, which is not possible for the villagers to pay.
Among the artworks we saw, the level of art was very elementary. They lacked the subtleties of a skilled craftsman’s hands. We were told they were simple drawings.
They were made for ordinary exhibitions. Special tenders are done for excellent artworks, in which a special selection of plot, color, etc.
is done. Such tenders are mostly received from museums and art houses where paintings based on a particular story are sought. Some private collectors also offer such tenders.
The picture I wanted was not available at that time. I hope that in the future I can meet these craftsmen again and get such pictures made or taken whose story is close to my heart.
