Karnataka's Kinnala Story

Santosh learnt the craft from his father. The artisans use a local variety of wood called Polki Marra (tree) which grows in and around Koppal. The art form is thematic and the chitragars create themes like gods and goddesses of Vaishnavism and Shaivism, scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Skandapurana, and Navagrahas.

Fine chiselling of wood is the first step in the long and skillful process of making these figures.

Wood is cut into blocks according to the size of the figure. As the the wood is very light and does not afford a smooth ground for carving, the figure has to be made by assembling several pieces.

Jute rags are first soaked, then slivered into pieces, dried, powdered, and mixed with saw dust and tamarind seed paste. This is made into kitta or a primer kind of material which is applied on the figure. After the colours are filled in, a thin film of varnish is applied. This helps to retain the gloss and to preserve the freshness of the figure. Red, yellow and green are the predominant colours used.

A mixture of pebble powder paste with liquid gum is used for embossing the ornamentation and jewellery on the body of the figure. Once the components of the figure are assembled, the kitta is applied all over, and small pieces of cotton are stuck on it with the tamarind paste. Over this, pebble paste is applied which forms the base for the application of paint.

Mostly primary colours are used to paint the figures. Natural colours are prepared at home by the chitragars. White is prepared from limestone, and various colours are made from tin. The artisans also use red earth and carbon black (lamp black). These colours are mixed with a watery gum. Burnt sienna, raw sienna, lemon chrome, oxide green, emerald green and ultramarine are the synthetic colour powders used in the making of paints.

Enamel paints are also used by the craftsmen when the figures require a lustrous finish. However, since the cost of enamel is high, these are used only to outline the eyes and lips of each figure.

To keep the craft alive a few folk elements of North Karnataka, like native dress, headgear and performance arts, have been incorporated to make it more popular while retaining the traditional style.

The lack of financial support, adequate training and economic viability has forced the next generation of Kinnala artists to ponder over their future prospects and question their ability to continue practicing this age-old craft.

Kinnala craft was first displayed at the Republic Day tableau in 2013 as part of the Karnataka float. It has subsequently been showcased thrice at various Republic Day parades, the most recent being January 2022.