Kalamkari

What it is

Kalamkari is a style of painting or printing on cotton, silk and other cloth using natural dyes and mordants. The word comes from the Persian kalam, a pen, and kari, craft. In Srikalahasti, an artist draws by hand with a pen made of bamboo or date palm tied with a cloth wad that holds the dye. In Machilipatnam, wooden blocks are used for the outlines and fills, and the cloth is then dyed in baths. The work depends on mordants, metal salts that fix colour, so that one dye can yield several shades. A good piece looks rich, with a deep red, indigo and green palette.

How it is made, step by step

The cloth is first soaked in a mix of buffalo milk and myrobalan to prepare the surface, then rinsed and dried. In Srikalahasti the artist sketches the outline with charcoal, then draws the final outline with the pen dipped in black made from fermented iron and jaggery. Mordants such as alum are painted on to take red, and the cloth is boiled with madder root. Blue is added by painting or dipping in indigo, and yellow with pomegranate rind or myrobalan. In between stages the cloth is washed repeatedly in running water. In the Machilipatnam style, blocks print the black outline and mordants, followed by dyeing and washing. A single piece involves many steps over days.

The motifs and looks it is known for

Srikalahasti kalamkari is traditionally narrative, with scenes from the epics and Puranas, deities in a temple setting, and borders of leaves and flowers. It was used for temple hangings and scrolls. Machilipatnam kalamkari is more decorative, with flowers, vines, the tree of life, peacocks and paisleys arranged in repeats, influenced by Persian designs. The colour range is limited to the dyes available naturally: red, indigo blue, mustard yellow, green made by overdyeing, black and brown. On sarees the pattern often covers the pallu and border, and the body may be plain or lightly printed. Modern designers also use kalamkari prints on silk and chanderi.

Where it is made

Srikalahasti in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh is the home of the freehand pen tradition, with a lineage of artisans in the Balija community and others. Machilipatnam, also called Masulipatnam, in Krishna district is the centre of the block-printed style, and Pedana nearby is closely linked. Both places hold Geographical Indication status as individual crafts. Kalamkari sarees are also woven and printed elsewhere, and many sarees sold as kalamkari are made with printed patterns on silk or cotton from other regions. Telangana has historic related traditions in Nirmal, which is known for painting and toys, rather than the same cloth style.

History in brief

Painted and printed cottons from the Coromandel coast were traded to Southeast Asia, Persia and Europe for centuries, and some of the earliest surviving fragments come from Egypt. Machilipatnam was a port for this trade, and Golconda sultans, with Persian influence, encouraged the style, especially the tree of life and floral patterns. Colonial companies shipped large quantities of painted cloth, called chintz, to Europe. In the twentieth century the craft nearly faded, and revival came through institutions and efforts of figures such as Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, who supported craft revival after independence. Today the craft thrives in cottage workshops with a mix of natural and synthetic dyes.

Buying and caring for it

To tell hand-drawn kalamkari, look closely at the lines. A pen outline varies in thickness, and small corrections or overlaps are normal, while a print shows perfectly uniform lines. In natural dye work, colours have a soft earthy depth and the reverse side shows the dye soaked through. Ask whether natural dyes were used and look for a craft mark or artisan certificate. A fully hand-drawn saree can take weeks and costs much more than a block print. To care for it, dry clean silk and wash cotton by hand in cold water with a mild soap, separately, and dry in the shade. Avoid soaking or sun, which dulls colours.

Where to look

• Srikalahasti kalamkari: Freehand pen painting with epic and temple scenes, from Andhra Pradesh.
• Machilipatnam kalamkari: Block-printed floral and tree of life designs from Krishna district.
• Pedana kalamkari: Block-printed cloth from Pedana near Machilipatnam.
• Kalamkari silk saree: Pen or block kalamkari patterns applied on silk, popular for pallus.
• Kalamkari cotton saree: Everyday cotton sarees with kalamkari borders and bodies.
• Tree of life design: A classic motif of a flowering tree used in Machilipatnam work.

Care

• Hand wash cotton separately in cold water and dry in the shade.
• Dry clean silk kalamkari.
• Do not soak long or dry in direct sun, which dulls natural dyes.

Sources and further reading

• Kalamkari on Wikipedia
• Srikalahasti, Wikipedia