Art & Craft of Karnataka

An ancient art form of Karnataka namely Togalu Bombeaata, depends on the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata for themes. This ancient art of leather puppetry is performed to seek rain, good harvest or to get rid of a disease or pestilence.

Another very famous art for of Karnataka has its origin in Mysore. This art of painting known as the Mysore School of Painting has produced painters like Sundarayya, Tanjavur Kondayya, B. Venkatappa and Keshavayya. Lively scenes from mythology or beautiful landscapes are exquisitely painted on silk sheets by the artists of Mysore using bright colors. A time consuming and extravagant task that this art is, it is loosing ground now. Several organizations are working towards the upliftment of this ancient art form of the state. Chitrakala Parishat is one such organization dedicated to promoting this art.

Stepping into the boots of its wonderful artisans, the craftsmen of the state also shape up wonders through their adroit maneuvers. A wide array of arts and crafts of Karnataka embellishes royal homes of the past and elite bungalows today. These masterpieces bear testimony to the skill, aesthetic sensibilities, and decorative abilities of the craftsperson. Many craft traditions in Karnataka have been inherited by these craftsmen from their forefathers with high degrees of perfection.

Having royal patrons in the past, the craftsmen of Karnataka are now being heavily encouraged by many agencies and design centers set up by the state government. Various potential initiatives have been taken by the government to keep the craft traditions alive. Following are the major craft forms of Karnataka popular not only among the locals but also among the tourists thronging Karnataka.

Woodcarving
With a rich forest cover of the state acting as a supplier of raw material, woodcarving has flourished as one of the major crafts of the state. Beautiful images of gods and goddesses are carved of sandalwood and rosewood along with a number of articles of daily use. The tourists buy plenty of these articles to be gifted to their friends and family on return. Rosewood articles are a must buy for the wealthy tourists and a beautifully carved rosewood elephant is an essentially forget me not commodity on your visit to Karnataka.

Ivory Carving
Yet another popular craft of Karnataka, it has seen a constant disintegration in the recent years due to the ban imposed on ivory trade.

Despite this, intricately carved idols of Lord Krishna can still be procured from the land with a handful of craftsmen practicing the craft till date. Some of masterpieces in ivory from Mysore are preserved in the Heritage Museum, Russia and in the South Kensington Museum, London.