Kerala Murals

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 Table of Contents
• About Us
• Introduction
• Mythology
• Material Used
• Process of Kerala Murals
• Motifs
• Contemporary Adaptations
• Additional References
• Image Source

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 About Us
CraftCanvas is a link between rural artisan communities and the urban customer,
translating an ages old craft into something that is relevant today. It is based on
the idea of contemporizing Indian Handicrafts through a common platform and
canvas where stake holders of the craft community like artisans, designers, craft
practitioners, etc can come together to create unique products and experiences
suited to modern day living.

India has a rich handicraft heritage and we owe this to generations of artisans who
have blended tradition, religion, social norms and functionality to bring craft
where it is today. However, there has been a significant shift in sensibilities of
present-day craft patrons thereby highlighting a need for Handicrafts to adapt to
these changes.

We believe that there is a place for India’s traditional crafts even in the most
modern of spaces and this process of evolution is what CraftCanvas facilitates.
Handicraft patrons like you can express your requirements ranging from wall
murals, soft furnishings, paintings, furniture and lighting among many others.
Our team will assist you in transforming their ideas and aesthetic preferences to
final products with a high level of artistry.

On the other end, we are constantly forming collaborations between the craft and
design community through which an interesting blend of experiences and
products are developed. Working with designers, traditional artisans are trained to
adapt to this new design scenario. For designers, it gives them an opportunity to
create solutions that embody the essence of the craft. Subsequently, these
innovations are marketed by CraftCanvas through channels like online store,
workshops, exhibitions etc.

Please feel free to browse through our site for specific information on our various
initiatives and we look forward to welcoming you to our world of crafts.

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 Introduction

Pre-historic stories retold in the murals

The murals of Kerala stand out for their prominence in beauty, clarity and
symmetry with unmatched linear accuracy. The peculiarity of Kerala murals is
their simple and thematic presentation of idealistic reproduction of humans,
animals and trees with technical excellence, illustrated with rich and delicate
strokes and hued with bright colours.

In Kerala, traditionally the mural painting is done in five colours - red, yellow,
green, black and white. Colours are prepared from vegetables and mineral
pigments. The wall preparation for the mural is arduous and a time-consuming
process. The line drawing is made initially on the prepared wall and subsequently
the five colours are applied. The entire process of mural painting involves
meticulous balancing of various components. The perfection and the finer aspects
of the work depend on the preparation of pigments. An understanding of the
traditional knowledge developed by its early practitioners enhances the life of the
mural paintings.

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 Mythology

At Mattancherry Palace: Kumbhakarna is sleeping on the floor. A white elephant is waking

him up.

The tradition of painting on walls began in Kerala with the pre-historic rock
paintings found in the Anjanad valley of Idukki district. Archaeologists presume
that these paintings belong to different periods from upper Paleolithic period to
early historic period. Rock engravings dating to the Mesolithic period have also
been discovered in two regions, at Edakkal in Wayanad district and at
Perimkadavila in Thiruvanathapuram district of Kerala.

The earliest of the Kerala murals were located by the side of a rock and a shrine
at Thirunandikkara way back in 8th century, which is now in the Kanyakumari
district of Tamil Nadu. Ancient temples, churches and palaces in Kerala display
an abounding tradition of mural painting, mostly dating back to the period
between the 9th to 12th centuries AD when this form of art enjoyed royal
patronage. Black and white mural paintings are also seen in Cheerumpakavu
temple of Muzhappilangad in Kannur district. The tradition and practice of
Kalamezhuthu, which is the pioneer form of Dravida art, has very much
influenced the growth of mural paintings of Kerala. Like Kalamezhuthu, five
natural colours are also used in Kerala murals.

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 At the Sri Rama temple at Triprayar: Green-skinned Mahishasuramardini standing on the
green-skinned buffalo Mahisha. The goddess has four hands: in her upper right hand, she is
holding a chakra, in her upper left hand, a conch, in her lower right hand, an arrow and in her
lower left hand, a bow

The temple architecture of Kerala warranted elaborate decoration in the form of

mural painting and wood carving. The stages of mural paintings of Kerala are
connected with that of architecture, especially the regional temple constructions,
the beginning of which is considered to be from the 9th century onwards. Under
the Brahmanical hegemony, the temple and other associated arts flourished.
However, the situation changed owing to the downfall of feaudalism. The
temples’ authority over the administration became weak which affected the
murals too, especially in the 20th century.
 Materials Used

Black colour in bowl

Kerala Murals are aesthetic in appearance and also eco-friendly due to the
materials used in the various stages of painting. The five fundamental colours
used for painting of murals are prepared from the mineral pigments and
vegetables like leaves, fruits, stones and ores. The colours are blended in a
wooden bowl along with tender coconut water and extracts of the Neem tree. The
wall is prepared by application of various coatings for a durable, robust and clear
layout, set for painting the mural.

The tools and raw materials used for painting of Kerala murals require the
following:
• Plaster consisting of lime and sand
• Water
• Extracts (Juice) of Kadukka (Mussels)
• Burnt husk
• Tender coconut water
• Extracts of Neem tree
• Turmeric powder
• Soot
• Acrylic Paints (contemporary painting)
• Five colours or Panchvarna used are yellow, red, green, black and white
• Wooden bowl for mixing of colours

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The Types of Brushes Used Originally were:
• Flat brush – Made from the hair taken from the back of the ears of the calves
• Medium brush – Made from the hair found under the goat’s belly
• Fine brush – Made from the delicate blades of grass or tails of muskrats.
• Eyyam Pullu, a local leaf is treated and tied to the bamboo sticks
• Nowadays, staple hair brushes have replaced the above mentioned brushes

Preparation of brush

The first shade of color used in Kerala Mural is yellow, followed by red.

Iyyampullu or Kuntalipullu (Arrow grass or Elephant grass, Aristada setaces

Retz.) is used for making fine brushes for painting. These grow abundantly on the
riverbanks. Small bundles of the grass is softened by dipping for some time in
milk and water. The small bunch is dropped on the floor to fall on its base, so that
the base of the pinched out bunch is at the same level. The healthy and soft ones
are selected and the base is cut to the required length and the bundle is tied up
with a thread. Then the bunch is inserted into a pointed hollow part of a handle
made out of a bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea) stick. It is selected to suit the
function of a handle of a brush. Then it is tied up tightly. The number of grass
ends will decide the size of the brush; different sizes of brush can be made. The
tender hair from the ear of calves was also used for making brush previously, but
that practice is not popular now.
 Process of Kerala Murals
Preparation of pigments

The preparation of wall and colours for the mural painting is of utmost
importance. The colour used in traditional mural paintings of Kerala is generally
obtained from three different sources; mineral, vegetable and chemical. Only
mineral colours that are lime resistant are suitable for mural painting. Of the five
basic colours, white is the wall itself.

Colour is applied in a sequence such as yellow, red, green, black. Each colour
must be clearly demarcated by black lines.

Preparation of wall

The preparation of wall for traditional murals of Kerala is an elaborate process

and it is done in three stages. The brick wall is plastered with the mixture of lime
and clean sand in the ratio 1:2. This mixture is ground well to a paste form.
Traditionally it is advised that this mixture is to be kept for one week and at the
time of plastering, the juice of plant, Oonjalvalli (Chunnambu valli-Cissus glauca
Roxb) is added. This increases the viscosity of the liquid and converts it into a
paste form that is easy for application. In the place of Oonjalvalli, ink-nut
(KadukkaTerminalia chebula Retz) water or jaggery water are also used. After
cooling, it is used to dilute the lime while applying on the walls. The first
plastering is the rough one and the plastered wall is allowed to dry for one day
and thereafter, the surface is strengthened by repeating the plastering process so
that the thickness is about ½” to 1”.
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 The second coating is done with the mixture of lime and sand in the ratio 1:2, but
along with this mixture, cotton (Gossypium herbaceum) is also added. The ratio
of lime- sand mixture and cotton is 1 kg and 100gm, respectively. Cotton fibers
impart gleaming whiteness to the surface and give better texture to the base. This
mixture is thoroughly ground manually on a grinding stone (Ammi) to make it as
smooth as butter. To this, juice of Oonjalvalli is also added. It is applied on the
rough coating and this smooth layer is plastered as pappad (a kind of thin cake
made of black gram, uzhunnu flour) thickness (about one mm). This layer is also
allowed to dry for one day.

Application of white colour

The third stage is a kind of wash. The third layer of coating is done with the
mixture of quick lime and the juice of very tender coconut. This mixture can have
the density of cow’s milk and is applied on the wall both length-wise and breadth-
wise repeatedly for about 25-30 times. Application of calcium carbonate
dissolved in the milk of tender coconuts on a primary lime base gives a brighter
sheen. The thickness of this coating may be of Puliyilakkanam (the thickness of a
tamarind leaf). This coating is allowed to dry for a day. The wall will gradually
attain a bright white background which also serves as the white pigment for
murals. Now, the wall is ready for drawing. On this wall the images are sketched.

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 Yellow and Red

The first shade of color used in Kerala Mural is yellow, followed by red.

In Indian paintings yellow is represented as yellow ochre and red as red ochre.
Yellow ochre contains various hydrate forms of iron oxide. Red ochre contains
95% of ferric oxide. Yellow and red colours are processed exactly as explained in
Shilparatna, a classical text on South-Indian representational-performing arts.
Proper yellow and red stones are to be selected. It is washed thoroughly and
ground manually on a grinding stone. It is mixed with water, which is decanted
slowly. The remaining part of the pigment is again mixed with water and the
process of decantation is done repeatedly to make sure that there is no unwanted
residue along with the pigment. Then this solution is kept undisturbed for
sufficient time to separate water and pigment. Without disturbing the pure
residual pigment at the bottom, the water is poured out. The residual pigment is
dried and kept ready for use. The quality of the colour essentially depends on the
selection of the stone, accuracy, proper cleaning and decantation. Yellow colour
has been universally used in all types of murals from the earliest times.

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 Green

The raw material for green pigment is extracted from the leaves of Indigo
(Indigofera tinctoria, Neela amari or Neelachedi). Its leaves are squeezed and
squashed well to get the juice which is dried up for use. This has greenish blue
colour. This powder is mixed with Eravikkara (Garcinia morella Desr), A resin,
commercially known as gamboges, containing 15-20% gum is obtained when an
incision is made on Eravikkara bark. Different intensities can be achieved by
altering the ratio. For deep green, Indigo plant content should be more than the
Eravikkara in the mixture and for light green, Eruvikkara is added more. Green
colour can be prepared by mixing Chinese blue (Kattaneelam) with Eravikkara
instead of Indigo plant. As a base, copper sulphate wash is applied wherever
green is expected and to adjust the tone, yellow wash is also done.

Black

Black was considered by the ancient Indian artists as one of the basic and
principal colours for a painting and it is the only non-mineral colour which is
effectively used in mural painting. In Indian paintings, black outline and patches
of black or dark tone are used to indicate hair, eyes, outline of figures, objects,
etc.

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 For black pigment, cotton wicks immersed in ginegelly (Sesamum indicum L.) oil
is burnt and the smoke of the flame is collected on the inside surface of an earthen
pot kept upside down over the flame. The lamp black (carbon) deposited on the
surface is scratched out slowly and kept for use. The colours are thus prepared by
adding appropriate quantity of water and neem (Azadirachta indica) glue before
the painting is done. It is a clear, bright, amber coloured material that blackens
with age. Neem glue is obtained from neem bark by making a cut on the stem
which is then left unused for a week.

Painting & Colouring

In the traditional method, a pencil called, Kittalekhini is prepared by grinding a

black stone and mixing it with cow dung. Nowadays, artists use different methods
including the commercially available pencils, mostly in yellow colour. Colouring
of the characters goes by their virtue or characteristics-as defined in the Bhagavad
Gita. The spiritual, divine and dharmic characters (Satwika) are depicted in
shades of green. Those inclined towards power & materialistic wealth (Rajas) are
painted in shades of red to golden yellow. The evil, wicked and mean characters
(Tamas) are generally painted in white or black. Green and blue colours are
painted only after applying two or three coatings of copper sulphate solution on
areas where they are to be applied. Direct sketching of outline is done in yellow
pigment. Yellow wash is done to adjust tonality.

Then the outline sketch alone (done in yellow) is repeated in red. Wherever
yellow is to be shaded, it is done with red. The shades are dotted, not done by
wash method. Wash method always leaves brush strokes which traditional Kerala
murals do not appreciate at all. To avoid brush strokes dotted method is used.
Whenever red is needed, it is done in the same way. If the figures are in red for
which shading is needed, it is done with the red pigment in dotted method. All the
outlines done in yellow and red are again drawn in black pigment. If the black
colour is needed, it is done according to the methods suitable (wash or dot) for
getting the required intensity. Most of the painting and murals are done in India
by wash method. After the painting, some incompleteness or rough kind of
surfaces may be seen; then dot shades for good finishing can be used. Dot shade
gives some kind of beauty to the murals.

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 The spaces where black is anticipated would first get painted in red on which the
pigment is used to intensify the black colour. The shading of the white,
represented by the blank space, is done in suitable colour according to the
compositional colour balance of the picture. Whatever may be the colour, the
shading is done from outside inwards by dotting method.

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 Motifs

Themes of Kerala Murals

The portrayal of the Hindu pantheon of gods and goddesses were drawn from
their metaphors in the invocatory verses or ‘dhyanashlokas’. The backdrops of
these paintings were greatly embellished with flora, fauna and other aspects of the
nature.

Some common themes:

• Anantasayanan, Lekshminarayana, Krishna with Gopis, Nataraja as
Dakshinamurthi, Sastha on hunt etc
• The common themes are of various incarnations Vishnu, Ganesha and
manifestations of Shiva.
• Characters and scenes from Christian mythology.
• Scene of the battle fought between the armies of Tipu Sultan and the English
East India Company.
• Throughout the image as well as at the borders a particular design is used
called “Ra Ra Ra”.

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 Contemporary Adaptations

Devised as a puzzle, installations of a deconstructed Shiva – a tribute to

Sadashiva at the Elephanta, Painted with Kerala Murals, at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai

Kerala Murals done on the wall and pillars of The Spice Route Restaurant, Delhi
designed by Rajeev Sethi

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 Additional References

• http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/10308/1/IJTK%209(4)%20635
-639.pdf
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_mural_painting
• http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/34999/14/14_chapter8.pdf
• http://www.dsource.in/gallery/kerala-murals
• http://www.dsource.in/resource/kerala-murals
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288854646_COLOUR_CULTURE_
AND_IDENTITY_INFLUENCE_OF_COLOURS_ON_KERALA_MURAL_
ART

Image Source

• https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/originals/bd/ec/8b/bdec8bfef6743eb2c171d7294ea1b3b3.jpg
• http://www.dsource.in/gallery/kerala-murals
• http://www.frontline.in/books/stories-on-walls/article8985955.ece
• https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/originals/98/36/48/9836482786b9cd8ec64e2455f325dd76.jpg
• https://seanerobins.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/img_4734.jpg
• https://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/588184/graphics/Spice_Ro
ute_2070284032.jpg
• https://veganwellbeing.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/imgp1125.jpg

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Designed by Surpritkaur Dang

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