Kinnal Craft Mysore
Many arts and crafts were born in Vijayanagara era. Kinnal craft is one of the crafts encouraged by the king during 15th and 16th century. “Chitrgar” is the community involved in this work. After the decline of the empire, Chitragar (Artist) communities migrated to places like Kinnal, Kanakgiri and Ananthpur, and were supported by the Nawab of Koppal, the Desais of Kinnal and the Nawabs of Hyderabad helped to develop the craft. Later the craft got famous from Kinnal and named as Kinnal craft. Kinnal is a small village gifted by the kings of Vijayanagara to support the craft. It is a small village in Koppal district of north Karnataka. Kinnal painting is a culturally rich, which is hand-painted on the wooden frames with colorful emboss used in temples and house decoration. Kinnal craft has rich artistic heritage practiced, which is also known as Chowki work. Chowki work is one of the art works that was popularized during the Vishwa Kannada Sammelana in 1985. The craft is mainly done on wood, depicting the figures of Gods, Goddesses, birds and animals in the center of wooden piece. The work includes embossing (gesso) work with magnificent colors. These craft also has exquisite carvings on wood representing local folk cultures. The art can easily be differentiated from other forms of arts by its intricate design. The craft is done by both men and women artisans.
As the craft is not very popular among the youth currently, the artisans of Kinnal craft are conducting many workshops and training sessions to teach and educate other young artisans to take forward the art innovatively.
