Andhra & Telangana — Three Art Forms, One Regional Heritage

EthniiChic's Andhra & Telangana collection brings together three distinct craft traditions from the twin Telugu-speaking states — Cheriyal scroll-painting (Telangana), Kalamkari pen-and-dye work (Andhra Pradesh), and Tholu Bommalata shadow-puppet artistry (Andhra Pradesh) — spanning wall masks, jewellery, coasters, trays, and boxes. These are three visually different crafts, each with its own materials, history, and GI (Geographical Indication) recognition — what unites them here is regional origin, not technique or product type.

If you're looking for a specific kind of object, this page is a slower way to shop than going straight to a category like Wall Décor or Accessories. What it's built for is the opposite: if a region or a specific tradition matters to you more than the object format — because of heritage, a personal connection to Andhra or Telangana, or simply wanting to understand what makes these two states' folk art distinct — this is where that story lives in one place.

Cheriyal — Telangana's Scroll-Painting Tradition, in Sculptural Form

Cheriyal art is a roughly 400-year-old scroll-painting tradition from Telangana, traditionally used to narrate mythological stories panel by panel. EthniiChic's Cheriyal pieces translate that same visual language — bold primary colours, wide-eyed stylised faces, deity and mythological figures — onto sculptural wall masks, made by artisans from the Nakashi community on a traditional base of tamarind seed paste, sawdust, and cotton cloth rather than plain wood. The craft has held GI-tagged status since 2010.
Shop Cheriyal Masks →

Kalamkari — Andhra Pradesh's Pen-and-Natural-Dye Art

Kalamkari — from the Persian "kalam" (pen) and "kari" (work) — is Andhra Pradesh's centuries-old textile art, painted with a bamboo or date-palm pen using natural dyes. It comes in two GI-recognised styles: Srikalahasti, hand-painted freehand with mythological and religious scenes (GI-tagged 2005), and Machilipatnam, block-printed with Persian-influenced floral and bird motifs (GI-tagged 2008). EthniiChic translates Kalamkari's peacock, floral, and folk-face motifs onto wooden coasters, boxes, trays, and select jewellery pieces.
Shop Coasters → · Shop Trays →

Tholu Bommalata — Andhra Pradesh's Shadow Puppet Art

Tholu Bommalata — Telugu for "the dance of leather puppets" — is Andhra Pradesh's traditional shadow puppet theatre, with roots going back to the Satavahana era and a craft centre today in Nimmalakunta village. Traditional puppets were carved from translucent leather and painted in bold colour to project vivid silhouettes onto a lit screen. EthniiChic reinterprets that same puppet-art palette and figure style in a much smaller, wearable and giftable format — earrings, pendant necklaces, studs, and bookmarks.
Shop Earrings → · Shop Bookmarks →

What Ties Andhra & Telangana Together

All three traditions are built on the same idea: painting or carving a story into an object, using techniques passed down through a specific artisan community rather than a generic decorative style. Two of the three — Kalamkari (both styles) and Cheriyal — carry formal GI recognition, meaning the craft's name and origin are legally protected the way Champagne or Darjeeling tea are; Tholu Bommalata carries the weight of a much older oral and performance history, having shaped shadow-puppet traditions as far away as Indonesia. Buying from this page means buying into three specific, documented lineages, not a generalised "South Indian folk art" label.

Choosing Where to Start

If you want a striking wall statement piece with the deepest single-tradition story, start with Cheriyal Masks — it's EthniiChic's most fully documented single collection. If you want the tradition reflected in something you'll use daily, Kalamkari's coasters and trays are the easiest entry point. If you want to wear the art form rather than display it, Tholu Bommalata's earrings and pendants are built for exactly that.

Andhra & Telangana as a Gift

This page works particularly well for gifting anyone with roots in, or a personal connection to, Andhra Pradesh or Telangana — a Cheriyal mask or a Kalamkari piece reads as a specific, considered nod to that heritage rather than generic Indian décor. It also spans a wide enough price and format range — from a ₹300 bookmark to a ₹3,600 Cheriyal mask — to work for almost any gifting occasion. Every collection ships internationally; write to contactus@ethniichic.com before ordering to confirm rates and delivery timelines for your country.