Kerala is a land of the lord, and it is also known as God’s country. It has a rich tradition of ancient murals painting.Kerala has a diverse culture. It is famous for paintings, dance, music, drama, cinema & martial arts. It is world famous for its Ayurvedic treatment. It is considered as the land of festivals.
Mural Paintings of Kerala
The traditional paintings of Kerala are legacy of fine arts and creative excellence.Mural means an art that is directly executed on a wall, ceiling or any other permanent source.Most of the mural paintings are drawn between 15th & 19th century.
These paintings are unique in their own way.The most mural paintings found are of Lord Krishna, Radha and Shiva. The mural paintings of Kerala stand out for their performance, symmetry, beauty and clarity.
The murals palette is consists of five colors yellow, red, green, black, white prepared from minerals and chemicals, vegetable dyes, fruit juices which are extracted from the earth.These are the basic colors if any other color is needed it is prepared by mixing of these primary colors.
The brushes used for painting is made from certain type of grasses and roots of trees. Sharpened bamboo pieces are used to draw the outlines of mural paintings.
Most of the mural paintings depict some dramatic scene.The murals of Thirunadhikkara Cave Temple and Tiruvanchikulam are considered the oldest antiques of Kerala in their own style.Fine mural paintings are depicted at temples and churches such as the Vadakkunathan temple in Trichur.
The Thodeekkalam temple in Kannur and the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram in the churches at Ollur, Chalakkudy, Angamaly, Akapparambu, Kanjoor, Paliekkara, Edappally, Vechur, Cheppad, and Mulanthuruthy.
