Cheriyal Scroll Painting

A typical team comprised five members: a lead balladeer (who sang and narrated), two supporting vocalists, and two who handled the scroll – unrolling it progressively as the story advanced. The scroll would be hung from a tree branch or a temporary bamboo frame. The balladeer pointed to each panel while singing verses, making complex epics accessible to non‑literate audiences. This tradition was not merely entertainment; it was a powerful medium for transmitting moral values, mythology, and social history across generations. The choice of episodes and the iconography of deities were often customised based on the caste or community of the audience (e.g., Gauda, Madiga, or upper-caste patrons).

Before the advent of cinema, television, and widespread literacy, the Cheriyal scrolls served as the “poor man’s cinema”. They brought the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shiva Puranam, Markandeya Puranam, and local folk ballads to every hamlet. The scrolls also featured scenes from everyday rural life – women fetching water, men ploughing fields, marriages, and harvests – which made the stories relatable. Thus, the art form was sociologically and culturally significant as an instrument of mass education and community bonding.

Material: The scrolls are painted on canvas made from khadi cloth (handwoven cotton). The cloth is treated with a paste of tamarind seed paste, gum water, and a white base (soldier‑fish scales or modern substitute) to create a stiff, smooth surface that resists cracking.
Dimensions: A traditional scroll was vertical in orientation, approximately three feet (90 cm) in width. Length varied according to the story: a typical narrative required 40 to 45 feet, while an epic like the Mahabharata could stretch to 60 feet.
Panels: The story was divided into a series of horizontal panels, each separated by a floral or geometric border. A standard scroll contained around 50 panels, each panel depicting one key episode.
Rolling mechanism: The scroll was stitched to wooden rollers at both ends, allowing the balladeer to expose one panel at a time while keeping the rest rolled.

Artists traditionally prepared their own colours from natural sources: red from geru (red ochre), black from lamp soot, yellow from haritala (orpiment), white from powdered shell or lime, blue from indigo, and green from local leaves. The predominant background colour is red – a signature of Cheriyal style. The outlines are drawn with a fine brush made of squirrel hair; filling and detailing done with thicker brushes. The finished painting is protected by a thin coat of gum arabic or varnish.

The most striking feature is the uniform red background (cinnabar or red ochre) against which all figures and actions stand out. This red is not merely decorative – it creates a dramatic, unifying field that makes the composition feel like a living stage. Primary colours – deep blues, yellows, whites, blacks, and occasional green – are applied in flat, unshaded zones, giving the painting a graphic, almost poster‑like impact. The style lacks the academic perspective or chiaroscuro of classical schools (Tanjore, Mysore), instead embracing the unbridled imagination of local artisans.

Hierarchical scaling is a key narrative device: the most important character in a scene is drawn largest, regardless of physical reality. For instance, in a Krishna Leela panel, Krishna may be twice the size of the gopis. Deities like Shiva, Vishnu, and local folk heroes are rendered with a strong local Telangana idiom – their costumes, jewellery, and facial features reflect the Deccan region rather than classical Sanskrit iconographic norms. The artists also added charming rural details: a woman churning buttermilk, a toddy‑tapper climbing a palm tree, or a farmer guiding his bullocks – these “filler” scenes made the scrolls immensely popular.

Subjects are drawn from ancient literary, mythological, and folk traditions: Krishna Leela, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shiva Puranam, Markandeya Puranam, interspersed with ballads of local heroes (e.g., stories of the Gauda and Madiga communities). Each scroll was a custom production: the patron (or the balladeer) would choose which episodes to include, and the artist would arrange them in a logical sequence, typically from left to right. The floral borders between panels also carry miniature decorative motifs – lotuses, parrots, and geometric bands.

In 2007, the Government of India awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) status to Cheriyal Scroll Paintings (Application No. 52). This intellectual property protection recognises that the unique style – the red background, specific proportions, and Nakashi lineage – is intrinsically linked to the Cheriyal region. The GI tag legally prevents imitation and helps genuine artisans command better prices. Despite this, the craft is classified as “dying” due to the collapse of the traditional storytelling patronage.

Cheriyal village is now the last outpost of this centuries‑old tradition. As of 2025, exactly three artist families are still actively practising the art. The rise of cinema, television, and digital media rendered the Kaki Podagollu’s performances obsolete. Many Nakashi artists abandoned the craft for daily wage labour. The knowledge of preparing natural pigments, the traditional panel composition, and the oral narratives associated with each scroll are at risk of being lost forever.

D. Vaikuntham (also spelled Vaikuntam) is the most celebrated living master. His family claims to have practised the art since the 15th century. He has trained his sons and daughters to continue the craft. Vaikuntham’s works are in the collections of the Salar Jung Museum (Hyderabad), the National Crafts Museum (Delhi), and private collectors abroad. Other government‑recognised artists include Vanaja & Ganesh, D. Nageshar, D. Rakesh, D. Vinay Kumar, D. Venkataramana, and D. Pavan Kumar. These masters conduct workshops and exhibitions to sustain awareness.