Paintings

Kerala has a tradition in the field of painting as is evidenced by the murals in temples, palaces and churches. The murals of Tirunandikkara (now in Kanyakumari district) and Tiruvanchikulam are reckoned as the earliest specimens of Kerala painting. These have been assigned to the period from the 9th to the 12th century A.D. Most of the murals now seen in Kerala temples belong to the period from 15th century onwards.

The murals in the Sri Padmanabha temple, Trivandrum, depicting Puranic themes are noted for their remarkable finish and grace and they belong to the period from the middle of the 17th to the 18th century when the pictorial art enjoyed full State patronage. The Vishnu temple at Trikodithanam, the Siva temples at Ettumanur and Vaikom, the Subramonia temple, Udayanapuram, the Vadakkunathan temple, Trichur, the Krishna temple, Triprangode are among the many temples of Kerala which contain exquisite mural paintings.

Mural paintings with Hindu religious themes may be seen in the many places. The Padmanabhapuram palace has at its topmost floor (Upparika malika) more than forty murals depicting such themes as Anantasayanan, Lekshminarayana, Krishna with Gopis, Nataraja as Dakshinamurthi, Sastha on hunt etc. The bed chamber (Palliyara) and four other chambers in the Dutch Palace, Mattancheri, contain murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana and Hindu mythology. The Krishnapuram Palace at Kayamkulam has preserved a large panel on Gajendramoksham which has been assigned to the first half of the 18th century. The Natyagriha recently built in the Kalamandalam at Cheruthuruthi (1977) contains the latest specimens of mural paintings in Kerala.

The churches of Kerala contain paintings which depict characters and scenes from Christian mythology. The paintings of Virgin Mary in the churches at Edappalli and Vechur are of deep religious significance to the devotees. The Orthodox Syrian churches at Cheppad at Mulanthuruthi contain interesting murals. The outer walls of the Kanjur church have a huge mural which depicts the scene of a battle fought between the armies of Tipu Sultan on the one side and those of the English East India Company, aided by the bare - footed local militia, on the other.

Swati Tirunal, the great ruler of Travancore, extended generous patronage to the art of painting. Alagiri Naidu, a distinguished painter from Madurai adorned his Court. He gave training in the art of painting to Raja Raja Varma of the Kilimanur royal family and the latter in his turn trained up his talented nephew Raja Ravi Varma. The well-known European oil painter, Theodore Jenson, also initiated Raja Ravi Varma into the technique of European oil painting and helped him to achieve international renown. The innumerable pictures of Gods and Goddesses painted by Raja Ravi Varma which adorn most of the Hindu homes all over India are even today objects of mass worship. Raja Ravi Varma's own sister, Mangalabhai Tampuratti, specialised herself in painting pictures of women and children which won universal appreciation from connoisseurs of art.

In modern times, Kerala produced two outstanding painters, viz., K. Madhava Menon and K.C.S. Panikar. The former excelled in the portrayal of plant and animal life. A refreshingly original style of his own is Panikar's legacy in the field.

Dhuleechitram or powder drawing is a taditional way of drawing mythical figures on floor using natural pigments. This is called Kalam (Kalamezhuthu). ‘Kalam’ is a ritual art practised in temples and sacred groves of Kerala where the representation of deities like Kali, Lord Ayyappa, et al are made on the floor using usually in five colours. Vegetable and powders and chemicals like lime or carbon powder. Spice Paddy grains are also used. The deities to be drawn is decided based on various factors. Being a ritualistic art, the presiding diety of the temple or sacred grove, the religions purpose that calls for the ritual, the particular sector cast who does it all are deciding factors as to the nature or figure on the ‘Kalam’. This is a traditional art and observes strict rules regarding what colours to be used to depict a particular part of the body, what to draw first and the order in which each part of the body has to drawn etc.. Once the Kalam is complete, ‘Poojas’ or worship of the deity will be held. Ritual songs are also sung on the occasion. There songs are most often never written drawn, and handed from one generation of the other through the vocal tradition only.

Colours used: Powder rice is used for white colour, and for the black powder burn husk. For yellow, turmeric powder; and for red, a mixture of lime and turmeric. Dried and powder red leaves of specific trees provide the green powder. In certain dieties the breast is made with paddy heaped in a cone shape.