Kalamkari – Dazzling fine depictions on fine handloom sarees

Kalamkari sarees are designed at pedana, nearby machilipatnam, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. It is a hand painted, block printed cotton textile. Kalamkari sarees are famed to be handloom painted cotton sarees all over India.

Kalamkari is from kalam (pen) and Kari (craftsmanship) words taken from the parsian for the art of hand painting done on the fabrics with the use of a pen and extended to include block printing. Kalamkari sarees are two distinctive styles in India, one is Srikalahasti, another is machilipatnam styles.

Srikalahasti style of Kalamkari, where in the kalam or pen is used for free hand drawing of the subject and filling in the colors, is entirely hand worked. This style flowed around temples and their patronage and so had an almost religious identity- scrolls, temple hangings, chariot banners.

And other machilipatnam style that came with an Islamic slant, had subjects of painting mostly depicting flora and fauna, aith floral designs as  a backdrop on the fabric. Both styles that have popularized Kalamkari hae one thing in common- the depictions are fine and neatly drawn, there is extensive use of organic colors which are fast, there is no dilution in the skill and quality over the years. Today’s Kalamkari has both these styles merged into one with different facets within the art.

The essential features of Kalamkari Sarees:

Kalamkari saris showcase the traditional simplicity, elaborate themes, sharp detailing and attractive motifs in a host of bright and pleasing hues. Kalamkari comes off beautifully on a whole lot of fabrics like silk, cotton, sico art silks such as georgette, chiffon, Supernet, crepe silk and others. With vegetable dyes being used, colours are fast and long lasting. Motifs with trees, creepers, flowers, leaves, birds are popular subjects.

Gloss on the fabric comes from the traditional use of some natural substances such as myrobalan, cow’s milk, cow dung, seeds, plants and crushed flowers in the paintings. The etching of lines and applying of color is done with a finely sharpened short bamboo piece, which reflects the devotion and skill of the ethnic craftsmanship to bring about such exquisite masterpieces despite the limited resources.

A time consuming and ardous  task, that involves patience and dedication, it is the sharpness of the lines, the fine details and the picturesque outcome that make this ethnic effort worth its while.

Kalamkari saris in the printed variety have block prints featuring floral designs and geometrical patterns arranged in designer fashion. Modern abstract designs have also been included in recent times to resounding applause from the market.

Ethnic art is like any other art. It is however the toil and the effort in producing these exceptional works of detail and the toil and the effort in producing the limited resources available, that available, that truly give it its value.

Kalamkari sarees are natural dyes used in this painting. Kalamkari printing is beautiful and done on various fabrics like cotton, silk, georgette, chiffon, crape, and supernet.

Kalamkari painting is a very time consuming process of resist- dyeing and hand printing. Kalamkari painting does require a lot of treatment before and after the painting is completed on the cotton fabric.

Designer embroidered sico sarees of kalamkari patch border with an elegant pallu are a wonderful party wear. These sarees are mostly designed the lord Vishnu in vaikuntam posture, and the ram dharbar posture, alluring designs are known for handwoven cotton sarees of hand painters.

Fancy kalamkari printing on south pure cotton sari is a refreshing attire of whole day.  Appealing kalamkari hand painted on chanderi silk saree is eye-catching.  And are apt to wedding, bridal occasions, corporate office, traditional festivals like sankranthi, diwali, dussehra, pongal.

Unnati silks largest ethnic online Indian shop offers exquisite designer Kalamkari sarees with matching blouse for sale. The Online shopping store has the widest range of ethnic Indian Sarees and Salwar Kameez. You can purchase online at Unnati silks and the products will be dispatched within 24 working hours of placing the order. We have free shipping and Cash on Delivery (COD) facility for Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Ernakulam, Lucknow, Jaipur, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh and many other Indian cities. We also do Worldwide express shipping to countries like UK in cities like London, Leicester, Canada in cities like Ottawa, Quebec, USA in cities like New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Seychelles, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Myanmar, Mauritius, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and many

To shop online Kalamkari Handloom Cotton Sarees , please visit our site 

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UNNATI SILK PRINTS PVT. LTD, #3-4-360, Vajra Complex, General Bazar (Tobacco Bazar), M.G.Road, Hyderabad-500003.AP,India. 040-64555251

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Kalamkari-life-like depictions on fine handloom sarees

Kalamkari is an intricate process of hand-painting and block printing on the saree that significantly raises the appeal of the fabric. An ethnic art from the State of Andhra Pradesh, India, it has been tried successfully on different fabrics and styles, from other parts of the country as well, yielding stupendous results.  

       

Kalamkari, meaning craftsmanship through the use of a pen, is an ethnic art involving hand-painting or block printing on Sarees. The Kalamkari was originally hand-painting on cotton fabrics to elevate their looks. Today it loosely includes free hand-painting on any cotton fabric through the use of vegetable dyes. Once, only cotton fabrics had kalamkari done on them. Today it includes silk, and many other synthetic yarns too.   

Two styles namely – the Machilipatnam style and the Srikalahasti  style are still prevalent in Andhra Pradesh, in places by these names.

Both styles of Kalamkari are distinctive and enjoy their own following. Kalamkari painting is an arduous process of dyeing and hand printing. Several stages of washing and treatment to the fabric prior to the painting and after it, is undergone before the final product is ready.

Srikalahasti Style, having royal patronage of Hindu kings and being associated with temples, was influenced by Hindu scriptures and mythology. It mostly has subjects of Gods, temple hangings, epic scenes and other religious themes, in its ‘Kalamkari’. Certain marked features of this style are simplicity, good use of colour with some colours given prominence, sharpness in the depictions, and the use of motifs.

The Machilipatnam style having Islamic influence uses more of flora and fauna as themes in its work. 

Natural dyes are employed for colours, in Kalamkari, with cotton, silk, crepe, georgette being the usual fabrics as canvas for this art. Myrobalan along with buffalo milk is used for fixing of colour reagents. Myrobalan is preferred for its high tannin content which helps adhesion. For drawing the contours and fine lines, the Kalam or pen is used. Sometimes it is also for doing the coloured lines. The pen could be a bamboo piece that would be dipped in fermented jaggery.

Kalamkari is experimented as patch work on other fabrics in various colour combinations. Motifs are some of the popular subjects like trees, creepers, flowers, leaves and birds.

Some Kalamkari creations, that have been introduced in the market, have been received enthusiastically, encouraging more innovations to follow. 

Fancy kalamkari prints on South Pure Cotton Sarees offer a refreshing look and could be used for a variety of occasions.

Employed on the Chanderi Silk Sarees, the Kalamkari addition makes it look so grand, that it makes the Saree apt for weddings, as bridal attire, corporate wear, as also for Indian festivals like Sankranthi, Diwali, Dushera, Pongal etc. 

Designer embroidered Sico sarees having a Kalamkari Patch border with an elegant pallu to match, are most suitable for parties and functions.

Unnati silks, the largest ethnic online Indian shop offers exquisite designer Kalamkari saris for online sale. Our Online shopping store has the widest range of rich Indian Sarees and Salwar kameez. At Unnati Silks, you can buy unique, exclusive collection at affordable price.

Unnati has a unique range of fusion salwar kameez where trending designs, patterns and colors have been incorporated in traditional styles of fabric manufacturers, and available in retail and wholesale. You can purchase online at Unnati silks and the products will be dispatched within 24 working hours of placing the order. We have free shipping and Cash on Delivery (COD) facility for Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Ernakulum, Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Patna, Jaipur and many other Indian cities.We also do Worldwide express shipping to countries like Australia, United States Of America(USA), United Kingdom (UK), United Arab Emirates(UAE), Australia, United States of America (USA), Adelaide, Black Town, Brisbane, Gold coast, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Barking, Birmingham, Leicester, London, Manchester, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, South America, Sri Lanka and Sweden.

Contact:

UNNATI SILK PRINTS PVT. LTD, #3-4-360, Vajra Complex, General Bazar (Tobacco Bazar), M.G.Road, Hyderabad-500003.AP,India. 040-64555251 or 97000 57744.