Telangana, a southern state in India, possesses a remarkable artistic heritage that spans many centuries. The region’s art forms showcase influences from various ruling dynasties including the Kakatiyas, Qutb Shahis, and Nizams. Each art form displays unique techniques, materials, and cultural significance that reflect the rich diversity of Telangana. Multiple crafts in the region hold Geographical Indication (GI) tags established by the government to safeguard their distinctiveness which supports local artisan populations.
From intricate metalwork to vibrant textiles and detailed paintings, these art forms collectively represent the artistic soul of Telangana. These cultural markers have dual significance within the state since they support thousands of skilled craftspeople while defining Telangana cultural heritage.
Pembarthi Brass
The town of Pembarthi established Pembarthi Metal Handicrafts after more than 5,000 years passed. This craft reached its highest point during the Kakatiya Kingdom period when skilled craftsmen known as “Vishwakarmas” gained fame for their excellent workmanship in both stone and metal. These artisans received support from rulers to build temples and create ‘Vigrahas’ (god idols), ‘Vahanas’ (chariots), and other artistic temple items. Their artistic brilliance can be seen in magnificent sculptures and decorative elements like ‘Keerthi Mukha’ and ‘Prabha’ (Pinnacles) that adorn many famous South Indian temples.
The Nizam era introduced a shift in the craft sector because artisans started producing house decor items including Paandans, Nagardans, Ittar pots, and Shangardans which they frequently made in silver and gold upon request. During this rich era the population of artisan families in Pembarthi exceeded 600 members.
Cheriyal Scroll Painting
Cheriyal scroll painting represents a unique religious cloth-scroll painting style special to Telangana. This art form has existed for more than 400 years and connects closely with the region’s storytelling tradition. The Golconda Sultanate period Kalamkari traditions alongside temple art influenced the development of Cheriyal paintings as a distinct local art form which did not resemble other existing Indian scroll painting styles. Both Nakashis produced the artwork while Mandhets used the story scrolls during their storytelling shows. The scrolls offered illustration to community oral stories that barbers, toddy tappers and washermen and farmers would share amongst themselves. Every scroll featured local heroes who were favored heroes by different communities across the regions.
Traditional scrolls had dimensions of three feet wide while extending to lengths of 40-45 feet through panels divided by floral decorations. During storytelling sessions the performers would expose each painting panel according to the current part of the narrative. The artistic style of Cheriyal paintings adopts dramatic colors on red backgrounds while dedicating pictorial clarity above the technical accuracy of perspective. The paintings display major scenes from mythology which combine with folk tradition material and stories from rural areas. The unique artistic expressions of Cheriyal Paintings led to their recognition of Geographical Indication status in 2008 due to their cultural significance.
Nirmal Paintings
Nirmal Paintings come from Nirmal town in Telangana and are known for rich colors, glossy finish, and decorative elements. The artists apply their artwork to wooden substrates that get a foundation layer made from clay and tamarind paste to achieve smoothness. Artists depict various subjects centered on Indian mythology together with stories from folk tradition as well as plants and wildlife in their Nirmal Paintings. Nirmal paintings stand out through their colorful spirit derived from natural ingredients and their golden decorative features which create a regal effect. The creation of fine artistic elements requires artists to utilize brushes made from squirrel hairs.
Wealthy families under the Nizams of Hyderabad together with other affluent families provided support for these paintings because they valued their artistic value and skilled craftsmanship. Contemporary subjects now appear within artistic creations that preserve traditional manufacturing methods. The repertoire of artistic subjects includes dancing girls together with village imagery as well as divine representations portrayed through a specific local aesthetic. Artists manufacture different decorative items through wall hangings white panels boxes along with furniture which all incorporate painting decorations. Traditional art has transformed itself for present-day home interiors through modifications that create small framed items.
Batik Paintings
Batik Painting represents an ancient fabric decoration art that has found a special place in Telangana. The process begins with applying wax to cloth before dyeing causes special patterns to emerge after wax removal. The artwork begins by creating drawings with a pencil on pure white cotton fabric. Artisans utilize hot wax through tjanting and block tools for resisting the dye process that will determine the patterns. The fabric objects maintain their original color because they absorb dye only in spaces that do not have wax protection.
Multiple color applications during the process enable the production of elaborate designs. The final pattern emerges when the wax is removed through the process of boiling or using chemical substances on the fabric. The regional taste in Telangana chooses shades of strong blues and earthy tones and bright reds to represent their preferences. Their production line consists of sarees together with dress materials along with wall decorations followed by home decorations. Artisans operate out of workshops situated in Hyderabad and other towns while producing contemporary designs but practicing traditional manufacturing techniques.
Bidri Craft and Dokra Metal Crafts
Bidri Craft is a special metal handicraft that began in Bidar during the Bahmani Sultans’ rule but became important in Telangana’s art heritage. Artists create items from zinc and copper alloy substances before they add designs through thin silver or brass inlays. The name “Bidri” comes from Bidar, where it first appeared in India. The black color formed through a special soil-driven oxidation method derives from unlighted portions of Bidar fort.
The item fabrication uses molding followed by casting and continues with filing and engraving before inlay with additional steps of oxidation and polishing. The texture of traditional Bidri designs appears through geometric patterns plus flowers and telling aspects from Persian art tradition. Vases together with jewelry boxes and hookahs and decorative items form the artistic products of Bidri artists because of their beautiful balance between power and style.
The lost-wax method serves as the fundamental process for Dokra Metal Craft which establishes itself as an antique tribal metal casting technique. While mainly associated with Chhattisgarh and Odisha, some communities in Telangana also practice this craft.
The Dokra artisans produce rustic artwork that includes statues and decorative items and hand-made jewelry. Making a clay core follows by applying wax designs before adding another clay layer for heating to melt the wax so that molten brass or bronze can be poured into the space. The metal object becomes visible after breaking away the external clay layer when it cools down. Dokra items from Telangana often show tribal designs, animals, and human figures that reflect the region’s cultural spirit. Both Bidri and Dokra crafts show Telangana’s rich metal-working traditions and the skill of its craftspeople.
Silver Filigree
Silver Filigree, locally called “Vendi Teega Pani,” is a fine metal craft that has flourished in Telangana, especially in Karimnagar district. The precise art technique of Silver Filigree makes artisans weave delicate lace patterns from silver wires by curling and plaiting and twisting the wires. “Filigree” comes from Latin words meaning thread and grain. This intricate metal work requires both patience and skill since artists use silver wires which are almost as thin as the edges of hair to produce decorative items. Silver purification sets off a sequence where workers transform drawn wires into different shapes through wire twisting.
Artisans assemble different patterns using silver wires that eventually create elaborate designs on a base through soldering. The production lineup includes jewelry boxes, trays and religious items and decorative figures alongside various artistic ornaments with superb craftsmanship demonstrated across them. During the past, both the Nizams of Hyderabad and well-off individuals gave their backing to Silver Filigree because they valued its refined attractiveness alongside its associated social standing. Hyderabadi silver filigree work displays traditional motifs of peacocks as well as paisleys and floral patterns with geometric shapes which represent local cultural preferences in the region.
The beautiful nature of this craft faces multiple challenges because of increasing silver costs as well as shifting customer tastes and long working processes. Government projects together with craft organizations maintain this traditional art through their support of artisan training and market assistance along with design guidance. The artistry of Karimnagar Silver Filigree secured a Geographical Indication (GI) since it showcases specifications specific to its regional background.
Handlooms of Telangana: Gadwal, Pochampally, and Narayanpet
Telangana’s handloom industry shows one of India’s most vibrant textile traditions, with distinct weaving styles developed over centuries. Gadwal handlooms originate from the Gadwal region whereas these textiles get their fame from their cotton foundations which are complemented by silk decorative borders alongside pallu elements. The special feature of Gadwal sarees is the “Jodu technique” that allows weavers to join cotton body and silk borders seamlessly. Temple designs, checks and traditional motifs appear in Gadwal handloom borders and the pallu usually features detailed zari (gold thread) work. The boats made through exceptional craftmanship produce both light fabric strength which India’s makers are now recognized for throughout the country.
Handlooms from Pochampally village bear unique Ikat dyeing signature in their design which makes them famous worldwide. A sophisticated production sequence begins with yarn tie-dyeing for weaving which generates the characteristic Ikat blurry geometric designs. The traditional Pochampally fabrics utilize vibrant color choices with geometric designs derived from tribal motifs together with ordinary objects. Through double Ikat weaving in which weavers decorate both the warp and weft thread sets they demonstrate their exceptional craftsmanship ability by producing elaborate patterns. Sarees alongside dress materials and home furnishing products from this region are internationally valued.
Handlooms from Narayanpet have existed since the Chalukya period while maintaining their reputation for clean lines and graceful designs. The typical design elements of these sarees include temple motifs in wide borders alongside tiny motifs that cover the body. Traditional Narayanpet sarees combine natural dyes which they apply to cotton bodies for lightweight features with silk border decorations.
Specialized Sarees: Kothakota and Gollabhama
The handloom weaving tradition from Kothakota village in Wanaparthy district creates the unique Kothakota sarees as a traditional Indian draping garment. The distinct difference between Gadwal and Kothakota lies in their silk borders which appear alongside fine cotton base materials. The unique feature of Kothakota and Gollabhama sarees exists in their traditional temple designs on borders combined with cotton-jari weaving. Weavers use the “Kuppadam” technique, where body and border are woven separately and joined with such precision that the joint cannot be seen.
Traditional colors of Wanaparthy district are limited to earth tones along with festive shades of maroon and green and mustard yellow which are enhanced by gold zari work. The traditional motifs of these sarees represent local buildings and plants as well as animals which weavers have handed down from one generation of their families to the next. Kothakota saree manufacturing takes up to three weeks of skilled weaver work according to design intricacy demonstrating both skill and patience.
Gollabhama sarees, named after tribal “Golla” women who traditionally wore them, represent another unique textile tradition. Distinct motifs on Gollabhama sarees present portraits of Golla women who are shown performing daily activities while carrying pots on their heads or cleaning around the house. A distinctive weaving process creates additional decorative weft patterns which get added onto plain fabrics in figurative designs. Traditional cotton weaving produces these sarees in bright contrasting colors to represent rural ways of life and native culture. The decorative parts of the border along with the pallu consist of interplaying geometric shapes that match the figurative images. The Gollabhama saree obtained registration as a Geographical Indication which confirms its important cultural value.
Telangana’s cultural identity.
Banjara Needle Crafts and Nirmal Toys
Banjara Needle Craft is a colorful textile tradition practiced by the nomadic Banjara tribe, also called Lambadas, who have settled in parts of Telangana. The Banjara Needle Craft technique employs decorated fabric that contains incorporated strands of colorful embroidery combined with reflective elements and coins and shells and beads. Banjara women employ multiple embroidery techniques especially herringbone and chain stitch to build intricate patterns while incorporating mirror work and cross-stitch and arranging them into symbolic geometric symbols like triangles and diamonds and squares.
Banjara women use traditional bright colors of red and yellow alongside green and blue that they enhance with small mirrors (shisha) to protect against spirits. Banjara people use traditional textile items such as skirts and blouses and veils and bags which receive elaborate needlework decorations. The Banjara handiwork evolved into contemporary items for urban consumers such as cushion covers and wall decorations and table runners and stylish accessories.
Nirmal Toys represent another important craft tradition from Telangana. Artisans in the Nirmal town produce handcrafted wooden toys which receive acclaim for their vivid colors and refined surface along with their cultural pattern designs. The first step involves choosing softwoods such as Poniki (white sander) to create different forms that undergo refining and receive a distinctive treatment of tamarind seed paste and white mud for a polished finish.
The tools start as wooden structures which receive hand-made vegetable paint maintenance followed by Jittugu tree natural lacquer for their finished shine. The set of traditional Nirmal toys features animal and bird sculptures alongside religious images and mythological figures with additional displays of rural job roles. These toys exist as decorative cultural items which represent traditional narratives and concepts from Indian history. Due to its distinctive heritage qualities and historical importance the traditional craft received recognition through a GI tag.
Conclusion
The art forms of Telangana represent a rich tapestry of cultural heritage developed over centuries. Multiple traditional crafts illustrate the historical roots of Telangana through their metalworks at Pembarthi Brass and Silver Filigree while Cheriyal creates narrative paintings that demonstrate local artistic customs. The textile traditions, including handlooms of Gadwal, Pochampalli, and Narayanpet, along with specialized sarees like Kothakota and Gollabhama, show the exceptional skill of Telangana’s weavers and their ability to create distinctive designs that have lasted through time.
The artistic diversity of the region displays itself through multiple crafts including Bidri and Dokra and Nirmal paintings as well as Batik and Banjara needlecrafts and Nirmal toys. While many of these traditional art forms face challenges from industrialization, changing consumer tastes, and economic pressures, various efforts by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the artisan communities have helped preserve and revitalize these cultural treasures.
The GI tag system recognition of multiple crafts has achieved two outcomes: it shields their distinctive attributes while facilitating their marketing in both domestic and foreign trade zones. As Telangana continues to develop and modernize, these traditional art forms serve as important cultural markers connecting present to past, providing not only beauty but also insights into the region’s rich history and diverse cultural influences.
Also Read: Art Forms of Karnataka: A Cultural Kaleidoscope
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