Cheriyal painting, rooted in the Nakashi art form, dates back to the 15th century. They were created to narrate stories of folklore and epics in rural Telangana.
Cheriyal painting is a form of vertical scroll painting illustrating episodes from Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas, as well as village life and social themes.
A Khadi cloth is treated with tamarind seed paste and rice starch to make it sturdy. Outlines are drawn using a fine brush and black pigment. Bright natural colors like red, blue, and green are applied with precision. The scrolls are designed to be read sequentially, like comic strips.
The materials used are Khadi cloth or canvas, natural pigments such as soot, turmeric, indigo are applied by fine brushes made from squirrel hair.
Cheriyal scroll painting is known for its use of vibrant colors and intricate details, sequential storytelling in a comic-strip format, and the use of flat two-dimensional figures with bold outlines.
