India is known for its rich cultural heritage. India is known for its rich cultural heritage but it would take almost our entire lifetime to uncover these gems of Indian folk art. Here are some of the10 famous folk art of India that are getting fame internationally and even the world around us succeeded in uncovering because not only the people who practice it are sincere in their work but their talent is so exceptional that the world couldn’t help but notice it.
Godna Art
Image Credits: Patrika News
The Gond tribe of Chhattisgarh practices Godna. Although, tattooing has moved away from the human body onto paper, cloth, and canvas. In reality, through exhibitions and seminars, female tattooists have played an essential role in the spread of Godna painting in India and beyond.
Kalamezhuta Art
Image credits: Atyutka
Kalamezhuthu is a ritual art form of Kerala in which the deity’s shape is drawn on the floor with five different colours of powder. As a matter of fact, Kalamezhuthu is gaining greater popularity as more people request that the artists display the form in colleges and schools.
Kondapalli Bommallu Art
Image credits: The Cultural Heritage of India
The Kondapalli toys are crafted from Tella Poniki, a soft wood found in the neighbouring Kondapalli Hills. To emphasize, depending on the type of toy, the final process involves colouring with oil and watercolours, vegetable dyes, and enamel paints. Significantly, Lepakshi and the Lanco Institute of General Humanitarian Trust have taken the lead in preserving the art of toy making.
Kutch Lippan Art
As you travel across the white sands of the Rann of Kutch, you’ll observe little thatched houses with glistening paintings on their mud walls. Consequently, the Rann Utsav, which began in 2005 and resulted in a surge in tourists, boosted livelihoods and offered a boost to Lippan artists. Commissions for custom-made interiors and installations in residential and hotel spaces are also accepted by Lippan artisans.
Leather Puppetry Art
Leather puppetry, traditional folk and cultural expression of the state, is deeply related to this style of craft. Today, television and movies are the most popular forms of entertainment, making shadow puppet shows rare and difficult to find.
Ganjifa Art
Image credits: Konkankatta (1); Pinterest (2)
Ganjifa is derived from the Persian term “Ganjifeh,” which means “playing cards.” These cards are unique since they are traditionally hand-painted. Although some rectangular decks have been made, the cards are normally round. Shri Raghupathi Bhatta has presented his fine art at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, where his works are also part of a permanent show.
Pipli Art
Image credits: SS Kumar
The vivid colours, delicate embroidery designs, and intricate weaving that portray aspects of life in an Indian hamlet have made Pipli art famous around the world. Pipili has a record for the world’s largest thematic appliquĆ© piece in the Limca Book of Records from 2004. In fact, the 54-metre-long (177-foot-long) painting depicts India’s struggle for independence.
Reverse Glass Tanjore Painting
Tanjore painting is one of the most well-known types of South Indian classical art. They have a three-dimensional aspect because of the relief work. Paintings from Thanjavur are still produced today. Many institutions, including state governments, hold ‘Revival’ programmes, exhibitions, workshops, and training camps on Thanjavur paintings on a regular basis.
Jaipur Blue Pottery
The eye-catching blue dye used to tint the pottery gives it the name “blue pottery”. Some of the pottery is semi-transparent, and the majority of the designs are animal and bird-related. Traditional designs have been incorporated, and tea sets, cups and saucers, plates and glasses, jugs, ashtrays, and napkin rings are now available, in addition to the normal urns, jars, pots, and vases.
Bidriware, Karnataka
Image credits: GiTAGGED (1); Sahapedia (2); Deccan Herald (3)
Bidri Ware is a metal handicraft with silver and gold inlay work on the brilliantly black alloyed metal, from the Bidar district of Karnataka. Rehaman Patel, a Gulbarga-based artist, has conducted considerable research on Bidri art. During which he gathered evidence of Bidri’s historical background and conducted a critical analysis of Bidri collections in Indian and non-Indian institutions.
Art they say liberates us from the shackles of our monotonous lives,
Trying to cut our tight knots of boredom with its colorful knives.
