Art of Kerala has a long history. Situated in the South-Western part of India, Kerala is a place of scenic and sylvan beauty, resplendent with greeneries, backwaters and coconut trees. The murals of Kerala dates back to 8th century AD and the style and content have gone through a constant phase of change and improvement over a period of time. Like any other traditional South Indian art forms like the Tanjore School or the Mysore School or the Kalamkari School, the Kerala murals are essentially iconic and had the genesis in the temple precincts. Wonderful pieces of visual art forms were created on the temple walls depicting scenes of Hindu mythology including the puranas and itihasas. The subjects for murals were derived from religious texts. Palace and temple murals were filled with highly stylised pictures of gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon, representing imageries drawn from the descriptions in the invocatory verses or 'dhyana slokas'. Flora and fauna and other aspects of nature were also pictured as backdrops in highly stylised forms. Created by environmentally friendly art materials these art works normally done in the earlier periods on the walls of the sanctum sanctorum and the multi tiered front elevation (Gopuram) of the temples were a visual treat to the eyes, reflecting the richness of our traditional culture.
 

[ Home ]