Kerala Mural Paintings

Art in Kerala is as old as civilization in the region. Kerala Mural paintings are as old as the 8th century AD and have gone through an intensive time tested process of alteration and development.

Origins:
A distinct temple culture was what gave birth to Mural Paintings in Kerala. The walls and the ceilings of the shrines and temples were painted with exquisite depictions of scenes from Hindu mythology. As with most of the other art fors of the region, religion formed the inspiration and provided theme to this art. The murals painted in Kerala's various palaces and temples were full of Gods/Goddesses images and other scenes from the Puranas. The highly colorful background was formed by paintings of flowers, gardens, trees, animals and other natural elements.

The rock paintings of Anjanad valley in the Idukki district are probably the earliest evidences of mural paintings in Kerala. The style seems completely Dravidian but also bears some influences of the Sittanavasal art.

Development:
Mural painting in Kerala entered its glorious days since the 16th century. The murals and frescos of this age show that the artists held Silparatna a Sanskrit text on painting related subjects by Srikumara, in high esteem. In this work, Srikumara has explicitly described the various intricacies of paintings such as the style. This treatise also addresses topics such as the themes and techniques to be used in mural paintings.

Method:
Preparation of the wall is of extreme importance and great care is to be taken in this process. One of the many methods of preparing the wall is as follows. A mixture of crushed lime and sand is stored for about 3-4 days. Now a molasses solution is added to his mixture and then the entire mix is applied evenly over the wall. Lime and tender coconut water is applied over the mortar mixture many times o prepare the wall. The 5 colors primarily used are yellow ochre, red, Indigo, green and black. Blue is found but is not very common. The colors are all organic and herbal or vegetable dyes, fruit extracts, and minerals, powdered stones etc. are used as paint. The paintings are top coated with pine resin and oil. This gives the paintings a glazy look and also protects them for a long time. The outlines were made of cow dung pencils called Kittalekhini and then the colors filled in. Grass blades and tree roots are generally used as brushes. Eyyam Pullu is treated and tied to bamboo sticks to make brushes of appropriate size. The images of deities are highly stylized in Kerala murals. Long eyes, curved shapes and intricate jewellery mark the figurines.

FAMOUS MURALS OF KERALA:
Palaces:
The Krishnapuram Place of Alappuzha District is noted for a large mural depicting Lord Vishnu rescuing his devotee elephant- Gajendra Moksham. The Mattancherry Palace in Ernakulam district is also famous for its various mural paintings. The Padmanabhapuram palace is especially noted for the mural paintings sprawling over the walls of its Central Hall.

Temples:
The walls of the Sapta Mata temple of Panayannakkavu are adorned with traditional Kerala mural paintings. Similarly, the walls of the sanctum sanctorum of the Shiva Temple at Ettumanoor are noted not only for the intricate work but also for the fertile imagination exercised by the artist. Pundareekapuram, a small temple in the Kottayam district is often visited by art connoisseurs who study and admire the various scenes of Krisna Leela depicted on its walls. At Mattancherry, in Cochin City stands the King's palace full of mural paintings from the Hindu Epics. These epics also form the theme of the 40 famous murals in the Venkatta Tevar Siva Temple in Kottakkal.

Churches:
The St. George's Orthodox Church in Cheppad is a fine example of Christial religious theme based mural painting in Kerala. The frescos at Mar Sabore and Aforth Church, Akapparambu are full of characters and tales from the Bible. St. MAry's Church, Kanjoor has delicate yet beautiful paintings on either side of the main door and around the altar.