Telangana360

Cheriyal (or Cherial) is a town and a municipality in Siddipet district in the state of Telangana in India  an hour’s drive from Hyderabad and about 85 kms from Warangal city is known for its unique scroll paintings and masks created by artists called Nakashis. This art form is unique to the state of Telangana.  The name that the art form is known by today, i.e., Cheriyal, is derived from the town it is currently practised in.The practice of the art form is much more limited than it was previously. Initially, these paintings were known as nakash or naqash, which translates to a drawing or a sketch. Art and tourism often go hand in hand, with art being a popular tourist attraction. The people involved in the creation of these traditional nakash or Cheriyal paintings, are a community known as the Nakashis. Other than this community, there is another important group of individuals associated with this tradition. It is important to note that the actual purpose of these scroll...

The Dandari-Ghusadi or Gussadi festival of Telangana is celebrated by the tribal communities of the Raj Gond and Kolam tribes. The Dandari-Ghusadi season is all about a robust dance festival that is celebrated for about 10 days during Deepavli.  The festival ends on Diwali day with the Ghusadi tado taking off their attire ritualistically. The celebrations usually begin with the tribals visiting the Padmalpuri Khako shrine at Gudirevu village of Dandepalli mandal in Mancherial district, on the banks of the Godavari river. On the occasion, the Adivasis present offerings to the river. They also end the festival at the Padmalpuri Khako as the shrine is of great importance for the people belonging to ethnic groups It starts on the day we see a crescent moon and end on the dark moon day. We start the festival by performing the Sakshe Akadi and end it on the Devadi day. Once the Sakshe Akadi is performed, the tribals would attain the festive spirits and the entire week would witness the f...

Kinnera is a two-stringed instrument made using indigenous materials like bamboo, dried outer shell of round bottle gourd, honeycomb, bull horn, beads, mirrors and peacock feathers. Scholar and poet Jayadhir Thirumala Rao says that the origins of the kinnera can be traced back to “around the 4th century AD, in and around the Deccan plateau”. “The Chenchu tribe [also known as Chenchus or Chenchulu], who were part of the Nallamalla forest, used to play the instrument while singing and narrating ballads or stories of heroes,” said Rao. “The Dakkali tribe of Mahbubnagar district in Telangana [in the area near the Nallamalla forest] was performing it at least from the 12th century. The Dakkalis are a sub-caste of the Madiga caste, once considered outcastes.” The kinnera has several variations – it comes with seven, nine, 12 or 13 frets. The larger-sized ones have three resonators, while the smaller ones have only two. Much like the Saraswati veena, the instrument is made with organic mater...

Runza  or Runjha or Raunza or Runja is a percussion musical instrument and a rare folk art from Telangana and it belongs to the Vishwakarma community, who take it as a sacred commitment.  Avajamu, Dangaramu, Veeranamu are different synonyms for Ruza. A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Runja is a two-faced drum of the medieval times. It had a uniformly cylindrical body, 13½ inches long. Each face had a diameter of 8 inches, fitted with rings over the edge. Brass ia also used in the making of Runza. Its height is about 3 or 3 1/2 feet. The upper part is covered with goats skin, eleven holes are made above and below and eleven chord are tightly tied all over so as to make a sling (utter in Telugu). The Runzas bend the instrument slantwise, press it firmly with knee and by pulling ...

Rock art is a form of landscape art that includes designs that have been placed on boulder and cliff faces, cave walls and ceilings, and on the ground surface. Petroglyphs are rock carvings (rock paintings are called pictographs) made by pecking directly on the rock surface using a stone chisel and a hammerstone.  Of all the questions with regard to rock art the most problematic is its dating. For the relative dating of rock art the following aspects are taken into consideration.  They are: 1. Thematic content 2. Superimposition 3. State of preservation 4. Colour scheme 5. Archaeological evidence. 1. Thematic content The thematic content in the rock art of Telangana mainly consists of animal figures such as deer species, humped bull (Bos indicus), hare, rabbit , mangoose, porcupine, dog, tiger etc., and birds such as peacock, human and anthropomorphic figures, hand prints and geometric figures. The thematic content of the paintings and also the petroglyphs, is useful for under...

Sri Neelakanteshwara Temple is located on a beautiful Highway to Nagpur in the centre of Nizamabad Town is famous for its architecture. Apart from architecture, there is another unique factor to this temple. It is the presence of the Big Three here: Lord Shiva in Linga form, who is Swayambhu; Lord Vishnu lying supine like Lord Padmanabhaswamy and Lord Brahma sitting on his lotus. Devotees throng this temple because of the presence of the Holy Triumvirate . Kanteshwar is popular for an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is said to be about 500 years old and stands as an example of the architecture of the time during which it was built. This ancient temple was built by Satakarni II for Jains, who was a popular Satavahana King. During Kakatiya period, the Jain mandiram was converted to a Shiva temple when many Jains also converted to Hinduism. The structure resembles the Nagara style or Hindu architecture with influences from north. While some legends say that th...

Mesolithic cave paintings found in Thaatimattayya hills of Buggagattu forest in Mancherial district of Telangana State. Historian Dr Dyavanapalli Satyanarayana has claimed that he explored the site in the Buggagattu forest area with the help of the local Naikpod tribes. He said cave paintings at Thaatimattayya are dated to be 13,000 years B.P. According to Satyanarayana, he came across the ten types of paintings drawn in five colours. Dr Satyanarayana said ‘even today families of Naikpod worship the ‘Thaatimatayyah’ or Thaadu which means palm tree. One of the most striking features of the cave paintings is the drawings of perfect circles.  It seems that the prehistoric artist had used geometric measurements to draw the circles. The circles represented human heads, womb/vagina, flying saucers, dumbbells/tool kits, sun and moon discs. The Mesolithic Age people inserted the small chips of chert stone (one-inch long and centimeter width) in the full cleavage of fis...

Banjara needle craft is a needle craft embroidery in the state of Telangana. The craft has evolved through centuries across generations. It is an embroidery and mirror work on tapestry. The work pieces are bright-coloured. Banjara needle craft is unique to the region of Telangana. It involves use of simple needles, embroidery thread, original fabrics (cotton or woolen), and needs high proficiency in the craft. Combined together, they create splendid pieces of art. Needle work is the mainstay of this craft and the combination of certain patterns such as geometric shapes - squares, tracings and diamonds are widely used. The colourful threads used on the basic cloth along with tiny mirrors, beads and cowrie shells impart a vibrant look to the piece of cloth. The mirrors, beads and shells diverse style of stitching - herringbone, simple chain stitching, long and short stitch. Generally diverse colours such as pink, white, yellow and blue coloured clothes are used. In many instances, blu...

The Narayanpet saree is made either of cotton or silk.  One school of thought states that in 1630 AD during Shivaji Maharaj’s campaign in the Deccan, the brightly coloured saris of the ladies caught his eye and thus the Narayanpet saree got its Royal Maratha Patronage. Other versions of the tale state that the weavers, who were part of Shivaji’s camp during a campaign, were the ones who stayed back and developed the form as we see it today. Much before the world was made aware of the concept of a global village, the Indian Subcontinent had embraced the idea. The merger of cultures of different princely states and regions in the country has produced some fantastic weaves and styles that are heralded to this day for their sheer beauty and exclusivity. The Narayanpet saree is one such example. These sarees have had the privilege of enjoying the royal patronage of the Marathas. Regarded as the garment of the Gods, Narayanpet sarees were used to drape the idols of deities and...

Nirmal Toys world-famous wooden toys are made in the historic town of Nirmal in Telangana state derived its name from that of a 17th-century ruler, Nimma Naidu, who had a great interest in art and toy-making. Back then, he collected about 80 artists and started a toy-making industry that came to add cultural significance to the town. The Nirmal toy cluster has 60 families registered with the state rural self-help group, who keep the craft alive, making toys that are sold through state emporia. The cluster earns revenues in the range of Rs 3- 4 lakh per month. Considering that the cluster largely produces toys, which is a non-essential item, there is always the danger of artisans losing interest in this traditional craft and moving on to more lucrative occupations. However, the award of the Geographic Indication (GI) status to Nirmal toys in 2009 was a morale booster for them. The GI status acts as a flagging device that helps producers differentiate the Nirmal toys from competing pr...

Nirmal Furniture is furniture made in Nirmal, Adilabad, Telangana, India. It received Geographical Indication rights in 2009.  It is handmade wooden furniture. Nirmal Painted Furniture, a Brand in Itself! Every region in India, is known for its unique culture and traditions, which have also influenced the local art. Nirmal town in northern part of Telangana state shares its unique, legendary identity in the arena of arts and crafts. The skill of the artisans and craftsmen of Nirmal town is well known, right from the pre-independence days. The origin of Nirmal art and craft is traced back to the Kakatiya era. Nirmal works were influenced by the Indian Schools of Art like Kangra, Ajanta and also the Mughal miniatures. It is even said that once the Nizam of Hyderabad was accorded a grand welcome when he visited Nirmal. The artisans decorated the venue and the seat of the Nizam in a very grand manner with an intricately designed banana bud which was believed to have been susp...

Karimnagar Silver Filigree is a silver filigree made in Karimnagar, India. It is an ancient art of Karimnagar. Karimnagar Silver Filigree received Intellectual property rights protection or Geographical Indication (GI) status in 2007. Silver filigree, the ancient art of making silver artefacts and ornaments by using silver wire, an art which Karimnagar town is famous for, cries for attention, protection and promotion of the age-old art and tradition. Silver filigree was popular during the Nizam era when the rulers encouraged the silversmiths to make the exquisite silver plates, ‘pandhan’ and other artefacts as show-pieces. These artefacts made by the silversmiths of Karimnagar were made available at Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad. Since 19th Century AD, the very talented craftsmen of Karimnagar fashioned rich intricate trellis/Jali made of twisted silver wire. The locals say that this unique craft was adopted some 200 years ago by the Elgandal town near the Karimnagar...