Radhamadhavam- kerala mural art

Kerala mural paintings have been started long back and the evidence can be found from the rock paintings of Anjanad Valley of idukki district. These paintings are mainly of Gods, Goddesses and the scenes pictured are from Ramayana and Mahabharata. It’s because of this reason that these paintings are on the walls of Kerala temples.

They stand out for their prominence in beauty, clarity and symmetry. The traditional murals are made of 5 colors (hence the name panchavarna painting) namely yellow, red, green, black and white prepared from herbal dyes, fruit juices, stones and roots. Bamboo sticks are used for outlining and tree roots as brushes.

This art has transformed completely with more shading and additional colours like blue. The order of coloring is firstly yellow, red, green and blue. White is used for prevailing white spaces which are retained during the initial coating. Black is used to outline the picture.