The word Kalamkari is derived from a Persian word where ‘kalam‘ means pen and ‘kari‘ refers to craftsmanship. This craft finds its origins in the coastal and the Golconda regions of Andhra Pradesh and dates back to 3000BC.

Traditionally invented to keep the cultural and mythological stories alive in printed form, this art form gained significant prominence during the Mughal era.

Kalamkari is an ancient style of hand painting done on cotton or silk fabric with a tamarind pen, using natural dyes. This art involves 23 tedious steps of dyeing, bleaching, hand painting, block printing, starching, cleaning and more. Motifs drawn in Kalamkari spans from flowers, peacock, paisleys to divine characters of Hindu epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana.

There are 2 prominent styles of the Kalamkari craft available today. The Machalipatnam Style – Mostly Using hand carved wooden blocks for the designs. Srikalahasthi – Mostly hand painted judiciously by the artisans.

Our featured Kalamkari Collection has been sourced from the Handloom craftsmen of Machalipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India and is an effort to bring you Authentic products from Authentic locations.