Rich traditions of Telangana

Yeshwant Ramamurthy, a well-known architect of the city delivered a lecture at Our Sacred Space about the emergence of Telangana Art and Crafts, and its evolvement over a period of time in the region.

“Whether it was the wooden toys and paintings of the Nirmal region in Adilabad district or the silver filigree work at Karimnagar or the Cheriyal paintings and masks of Warangal area, it’s always been the traditional arts of the region that have survived the test of time and were all patronised by the rulers of the time,” he shared.

“Kundan work traditionally used in enhancing jewellery was also used in fabric designing and also beautifying some wall panels. Of late, there has been an attempt to convince the traditional master craftsmen to move out and also bring the craft into modern day usage articles. These days Cheriyal paintings are being done on mugs, wall calendars and display plaques also,” he added.

Ramamurthy said that there has also been a lot of textile craft in the region like the Teliya Rumaal, which found royal patronage. Bidri craft also flourished in the erstwhile Deccan of Telangana.

Dokra metal works have been made since a long time. “The region has a rich heritage of craftsmen, who have been continuously toiling to keep up with the changing demands of the fast paced society and look forward to patronage from all walks of society,” he concluded.