Cheriyal Painting: When a Colourful Scroll Tells a Story

Imagine sitting in a village in Telangana many years ago. There is no television, cinema or illustrated book. Instead, a storyteller stands before you holding a long, brightly painted cloth scroll.

He begins to sing.

Slowly, he unfolds the scroll. One scene appears, then another, gods and kings, village life, festivals, animals and legendary battles. The pictures change as the story moves forward.

This is Cheriyal painting, an art form in which painting and storytelling become one.

Originating in Telangana, Cheriyal painting was traditionally created on long narrative scrolls. Storytellers used these paintings as visual aids while singing and narrating stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Puranas, Krishna legends and local folklore. In many ways, a Cheriyal scroll worked like a hand-painted comic strip, with each panel moving the story forward.

What Makes Cheriyal Painting Special?

The first thing people notice is the colour.

A striking red background, bold black outlines and bright shades of yellow, blue, green, white and pink give Cheriyal paintings their instantly recognisable appearance. The figures are expressive rather than realistic. Large eyes, dramatic gestures, colourful costumes and elaborate jewellery help viewers understand the characters and action quickly.

There is little emphasis on realistic perspective. Instead, every figure and object is arranged to communicate the story clearly.

A king must look like a king.

A deity must be immediately recognisable.

A musician, farmer or warrior must be identifiable at a glance.

The painting is not simply meant to be admired, it is meant to communicate.

How Is a Cheriyal Painting Made?

Creating a Cheriyal painting requires patience, planning and considerable skill. The process begins long before the first character is painted.

1. Preparing the Cloth
   Traditionally, the artist begins with khadi or cotton cloth. Since ordinary cloth is too soft for detailed painting, it must first be transformed into a firm canvas.
   A traditional coating is prepared using ingredients such as rice starch, boiled tamarind-seed paste, white clay or mud and natural tree gum. This mixture is applied to the cloth in several layers, with drying between the applications. The coating makes the fabric firm, smooth and suitable for painting.
2. Planning and Sketching the Story
   A Cheriyal artist does not simply paint a beautiful picture. The artist first decides what the image needs to say.
   In a traditional scroll, the story is divided into a series of scenes. The artist plans the position of the main characters, animals, trees, buildings and decorative borders. Each panel must connect naturally with the next.
   The figures are then sketched on the prepared cloth. Faces, bodies, costumes, jewellery, weapons and other details are carefully planned according to the traditional Cheriyal style.
3. Applying the Colours
   Once the sketch is ready, the painting begins to come alive.
   Traditionally, Cheriyal artists used natural pigments made from stones, plants, shells, soot and other materials. White could be prepared from seashell powder, black from lamp soot, yellow from turmeric, and blue from indigo. Today, some artists also use commercially prepared colours.
   The famous red background is one of the strongest visual features of Cheriyal painting. It makes the figures stand out and gives the entire scroll a warm, dramatic appearance.
4. Adding Details and Outlines
   After the main colours have been applied, the artist adds details that make the characters expressive and culturally meaningful.
   Jewellery is painted, clothing receives decorative patterns, and eyes, eyebrows and facial expressions are carefully defined. Animals, trees, flowers, musical instruments and buildings are added around the main figures.
   These details often reveal aspects of Telangana’s culture and everyday life.
   The final black outlines are especially important. Fine lines are drawn around the figures, faces, ornaments, clothing and other elements. These outlines sharpen the forms and give Cheriyal paintings their distinctive graphic quality.
5. Finishing the Painting
   The artist completes the decorative borders, checks the colours and outlines, and allows the painting to dry completely. Traditionally, a gum-based coating may be applied to help protect the surface. Floral and leafy motifs are often added to beautify the borders.
   The finished work can be displayed as an individual painting or joined with other panels to form a long storytelling scroll.

What Stories Do Cheriyal Paintings Tell?

Mythology is an important part of Cheriyal art, but it is not the whole story.

Artists have depicted:

• Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• Krishna and other Hindu legends.
• Local heroes and folklore.
• Weddings, festivals and religious ceremonies.
• Farming and cattle rearing.
• Music and dance.
• Village occupations.
• Community traditions.
• Animals, forests and everyday life.

This wide range of subjects makes Cheriyal painting especially valuable. It preserves not only religious stories but also memories of ordinary community life.

A single painting can provide clues about clothing, occupations, celebrations, architecture, musical instruments and social customs. It is therefore both an artwork and a visual record of Telangana’s cultural heritage.

From Long Scrolls to Modern Walls

Traditional Cheriyal scrolls could be many metres long. During a performance, the storyteller would gradually unfold the scroll as the story progressed. The audience would see one scene at a time while listening to songs and narration.

As cinema, television and digital entertainment became popular, the demand for long storytelling performances declined. Cheriyal artists adapted to changing times.

Instead of producing only large scrolls, they began creating smaller paintings for homes, galleries and exhibitions. The style also appeared on masks, dolls and other craft products.

The format changed, but the visual language survived.

The red background remained.

The expressive faces remained.

The bold outlines remained.

And, most importantly, the storytelling remained.

Why Cheriyal Painting Still Matters

Cheriyal painting is more than a folk-art style. It brings together painting, oral storytelling, music, folklore and community memory.

For generations, these paintings helped stories travel from one generation to another. They gave visual form to stories that might otherwise have existed only through spoken tradition.

Preserving Cheriyal painting therefore means more than preserving a particular technique. It also means:

• Supporting artists who continue to practise the tradition.
• Documenting traditional stories and performance methods.
• Teaching the art form to younger generations.
• Encouraging exhibitions and craft demonstrations.
• Helping audiences understand the culture behind the colourful images.

The tradition can change without losing its identity. A modern Cheriyal painting may be smaller, use contemporary colours and hang on a living-room wall instead of being carried by a travelling storyteller.

But it can still tell a story.

A Story Painted on Cloth

Perhaps that is the best way to understand Cheriyal painting.

It is not simply a picture.

It is a story waiting to be unfolded.

Behind every red background is a world of gods, heroes, villagers, musicians, animals and memories. Behind every bold black line is the hand of an artist carrying forward a tradition developed through generations.

Cheriyal painting proves that a story does not always need a book. Sometimes, it only needs a piece of cloth, a brush, a few brilliant colours—and someone willing to tell the story.