Cheriyal (or Cherial) is only about a 100 kms away from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh (at the time of posting, at least:) ). The lure of the big city and better employment opportunities have spirited the younger generation away. Today, there is only a handful of people who make these bright & colourful masks.
The masks are lesser known as they are overshadowed by the scroll-paintings which this village is famous for. They really are miniatures of what must have been life-size, rather face-size, in earlier years. Wandering story-tellers used these masks in traditional story telling when they travelled from village to village. Drawn from daily life and mythology, the smaller masks and other toys would be sold in the village once the stories were done with.
Painstakingly wrought using a light wood base, tamarind seeds and sawdust, these masks are intricately painted, mostly in a red or blue base colour. You will find villagers - men & women in traditional jewellery, turbans, brides & grooms, evil eye protectors/ demons and more.
Today, they are used as decorative items for the home or on your desktop. They add a eye-popping splash of colour to a dull corner, brightening it immediately.
Visit A Full Moon store if you wish to buy one of these. The masks have been sourced directly from the artisans at Cheriyal.
The masks are lesser known as they are overshadowed by the scroll-paintings which this village is famous for. They really are miniatures of what must have been life-size, rather face-size, in earlier years. Wandering story-tellers used these masks in traditional story telling when they travelled from village to village. Drawn from daily life and mythology, the smaller masks and other toys would be sold in the village once the stories were done with.
Painstakingly wrought using a light wood base, tamarind seeds and sawdust, these masks are intricately painted, mostly in a red or blue base colour. You will find villagers - men & women in traditional jewellery, turbans, brides & grooms, evil eye protectors/ demons and more. Today, they are used as decorative items for the home or on your desktop. They add a eye-popping splash of colour to a dull corner, brightening it immediately.
Visit A Full Moon store if you wish to buy one of these. The masks have been sourced directly from the artisans at Cheriyal.
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