Located in Koppal, Karnataka, Kinnal village is famous for an eponymous form of craft that involves making idols and dolls. The process involves drawing, sculpting and painting—all of which is executed on wood. This unique art dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries and has been passed down several generations. The artists are known as chitragars and the village is home to about 25 families who are involved in the craft today.
“I have been doing this since the last eight years. I learnt it from my father who in turn was taught by my grandfather,” says Anand, whose father Ekappa is an award-winning artist. The work is intrinsic and uses motifs like the lion face, temple arches and goddesses which bear striking similarities to the ones found in the temples of the Vijayanagar era and in the monuments of Hampi. Among the gods, the idols of Lord Ganesha, Shiva-Parvati, Hanuman and Garuda are popular. “Since most of our idols are used in temples, oil paints are more preferred as they are long-lasting and water-proof,” says Ekappa, one of the senior-most artists of the village.
The wood is sourced from a tree known as ponkimarra. First, a sketch is drawn on wood and chiselled to bring out an initial model, then a mixture of liquid tamarind and pebble paste is applied to the entire idol and left to dry. Sometimes the hands and legs are carved separately and then joined together.
A paste made from tamarind seeds, jute fibres from gunny bags and finely ground wood powder is applied to join the parts. The idol is then painted with chalk powder, which helps smoothen the surface. The white colour also forms the perfect base for painting the idol, which is the next step. While the classic colours are red, green and yellow, finishing touches are applied by giving a border of black. Many idols have a stunning finish of gold and silver. A special technique called lajawara is employed for this.
Given that the entire process is handmade and complex, each idol takes a minimum of 15 days to be made. Like most native crafts, a lack of economic viability, capital crunch and the absence of incentives and recognition make the Kinnal craft a slowly dying art form. “In order to make good margins, we need large-scale orders. Making sandalone pieces really does not help our cause as we hardly earn anything from it,” rues another artisan, Santosh.