Before stories appeared on screens, some travelled from village to village on cloth.
Long painted scrolls were gradually unfurled as performers sang, narrated and brought their characters to life. Gods appeared alongside farmers. Great epics sat beside scenes of cooking, celebration and ordinary village life. Every panel moved the story forward.
This was Cheriyal: not simply a style of painting, but a complete tradition of visual storytelling.
Originating in present-day Telangana, Cheriyal art is recognised by its vivid colours, strong outlines and wonderfully expressive figures. Its stories once stretched across scrolls several metres long. Today, they also appear on smaller paintings, masks, sculptural forms and hand-painted wooden plates that allow the tradition to enter contemporary homes.
At āsmi london, we are drawn to crafts that still carry evidence of the lives around them. Cheriyal does exactly that. It brings together mythology and the everyday, the sacred and the playful, history and a distinctly human sense of character.
Our Decor Accents collection includes Cheriyal wall plates, hand-painted masks and sculptural pieces made in Telangana by a National Award-winning master craftsperson.
Each one holds a story. Some are immediately recognisable. Others leave enough unsaid for you to imagine your own.
What is Cheriyal art?
Cheriyal is a traditional narrative art form closely associated with the town of Cheriyal in Telangana.
Historically, artists known as Nakashis painted long vertical scrolls divided into a sequence of panels. Travelling storytellers used these scrolls as visual accompaniments while narrating folklore, community histories and episodes from religious texts.
A single scroll could contain dozens of scenes. As the performance progressed, the storyteller revealed the relevant panel, much like moving through an illustrated film reel or a large, hand-painted comic strip.
The stories often came from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Markandeya Purana, Shiva Purana and tales of Krishna. But Cheriyal was never concerned only with Gods, heroes and grand events.
Its painted world also belonged to ordinary people.
Farmers worked in fields. Women prepared food. Musicians played their instruments. Families celebrated weddings and festivals. People gathered, conversed and carried out the familiar work of village life.
That is part of what gives Cheriyal painting its warmth. The monumental and the everyday are not separated. They share the same painted world.
Art made to be performed
A Cheriyal scroll was not originally intended to hang silently on a wall.
It belonged to a performance.
Groups of travelling bards moved between villages, carrying stories to communities through narration, song, dance and music. Instruments accompanied the performance while the painted scroll provided its visual structure.
The audience did not encounter all the imagery at once. A scene was revealed as its moment in the story arrived. The painting unfolded through time.
These performances also reflected the lives and identities of different communities across the region. Scrolls could be commissioned with particular stories, local heroes and details relevant to those who would gather to hear them.
Cheriyal was therefore more than decorative folk art. It acted as a form of communal memory—helping stories travel, histories endure and knowledge pass from one generation to the next.
Why does Cheriyal art look so distinctive?
Cheriyal art is difficult to mistake for anything else.
Its figures are highly stylised, with large expressive eyes, pronounced features and gestures that seem to hold a moment of action. Strong outlines make every character immediately legible, while vivid colours allow scenes to command attention even from a distance.
Traditional Cheriyal scroll paintings are particularly associated with rich red backgrounds. Against this field appear warm skin tones, black outlines and areas of yellow, blue, green and white.
The style does not attempt photographic realism or mathematically accurate perspective. A figure may be larger because that character is more important to the scene. A tree, curtain, pillar or building may be used to establish place and separate one moment from another.
The aim is not to recreate the physical world precisely. It is to tell the story clearly and memorably.
Common characteristics of Cheriyal painting include:
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Strong black outlines
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Large, expressive eyes
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Animated facial expressions
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Predominantly vivid primary colours
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Richly patterned clothing and jewellery
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Simplified but recognisable settings
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Mythological figures shown through a regional visual language
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Scenes of rural work, music and celebration
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Narratives arranged in clear visual sequences
There is energy in the work, but also directness. Cheriyal figures do not disappear into the background. They look, move, carry, dance, play and perform.
Gods, people and the life between them
Indian folk traditions often make the sacred feel close to everyday life. Cheriyal is a beautiful example.
Krishna may appear playing the flute. Hanuman can be shown with the strength and devotion for which he is known. Garuda brings the commanding presence of Vishnu’s vahana, while Lakshmi’s feet evoke prosperity, welcome and auspicious beginnings.
Alongside them are characters whose stories may be less immediately known: a drummer, a diya bearer, a fruit bearer, a woman looking into a mirror or a group gathered in procession.
This mixture is essential to the spirit of the craft.
Cheriyal art does not create a world in which only Gods are worth painting. A person carrying a lamp, playing an instrument or tending to an everyday task can occupy the frame with equal vitality.
That makes these pieces especially expressive in a home. You might choose a figure because you know its cultural meaning, because it recalls a story from childhood, or simply because something in its posture or expression feels familiar.
Not every connection needs to be explained before it can be felt.
How traditional Cheriyal scrolls are made
The preparation of a traditional Cheriyal scroll begins before any scene is painted.
Khadi cloth is treated with a carefully prepared mixture traditionally containing rice starch, white mud, tamarind seed paste and natural gum. Several coatings are applied, with each layer allowed to dry before the next is added.
This process transforms the cloth into a smooth but durable painting surface.
Once the canvas is ready, the artist plans the narrative and outlines its characters and scenes. Colour is gradually introduced, followed by the strong dark lines that bring definition to the figures, expressions, clothing and surroundings.
The method is slow because the surface cannot be rushed. Each layer depends on the one before it being properly prepared and dried.
The traditional materials matter, but so does the knowledge required to use them. An experienced Cheriyal artist understands how a face should be constructed, how a figure should be positioned and how much detail is needed for a scene to communicate at once.
The apparent simplicity of the finished image is supported by years of visual memory and practice.
From painted scrolls to masks and wall pieces
As the communities and performance traditions that once supported large narrative scrolls changed, Cheriyal artists began adapting the craft.
Long scrolls became shorter. Individual scenes were made as standalone paintings. Characters moved from cloth onto masks, dolls, decorative panels and objects designed for contemporary homes.
This shift is sometimes described simply as modernisation, but it represents something more important: survival through adaptation.
A craft cannot remain alive only by repeating objects for which there is no longer a place. It must find new forms without losing the knowledge that makes it distinct.
Cheriyal masks are one such form.
Traditionally, these sculptural pieces are created using natural materials that can include sawdust, tamarind seed paste, cloth, rice starch and white mud. The form is moulded and dried, its features are shaped and smoothed, and the surface is finally painted by hand.
The process followed for āsmi london’s sculptural Cheriyal pieces can be understood in five broad stages:
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Moulding the form
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Allowing it to dry
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Building and decorating the surface
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Smoothing and preparing it for paint
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Painting every detail by hand
Weather and humidity affect how quickly the forms dry. That means production cannot simply be accelerated to meet a deadline.
No factories. No machines. Ever.
Cheriyal wall plates: a new surface for an old language
The Cheriyal wall plates at āsmi london carry the visual language of the tradition onto reclaimed mango wood.
Each plate is painted entirely by hand. Bold figures, patterned borders, expressive faces and saturated colour turn the circular wooden surface into a self-contained moment from a much larger imagined story.
The form may be contemporary, but the way the image communicates remains unmistakably Cheriyal.
Small wall plates focus on individual figures and moments. Krishna plays the flute. Garuda faces forward with commanding eyes. Hanuman appears in the distinctive folk idiom of the craft. Elsewhere, a drummer, diya bearer, fruit bearer or cow and calf draw attention to music, ritual and daily life.
Larger plates create more elaborate compositions. A royal procession gathers several characters into a single scene. The Grid arranges nine folk figures within a strong geometric framework. The Two-Headed Peacock carries symmetry and imagination, while The Mirror Tale turns an intimate everyday gesture into art.
The reclaimed wood may retain subtle natural variations, just as the brushwork and colour will differ slightly from one hand-painted piece to another.
These variations are not inconsistencies. They are what prevent the work from becoming a reproduction.
How to style Cheriyal wall art in a contemporary home
Cheriyal wall décor is unapologetically expressive, but it does not require an equally colourful room.
In fact, its vivid palette often has the greatest impact when placed against a quieter background.
Let one piece stand alone
A single Cheriyal plate can bring character to a narrow wall, reading corner, entrance or the space above a small console.
Choose a character or scene that holds meaning for you, then leave enough room around it for its circular outline and colour to be clearly seen.
Krishna, Hanuman and Garuda work well as individual focal points. A drummer, fruit bearer or diya bearer offers a more understated connection to the everyday storytelling within the tradition.
Create a small story with several plates
A group of three or five wall plates can create rhythm without needing to form a perfectly symmetrical arrangement.
You might combine mythology with daily life: Krishna beside a drummer and diya bearer, or Garuda alongside a cow and calf. Alternatively, group pieces by colour, character or size.
Lay the arrangement on the floor before hanging it. Begin with the largest piece, then allow the smaller plates to move around it with comfortable spacing.
The aim is not to imitate a formal gallery wall. Think of the plates as separate moments within one unfolding narrative.
Mix sculptural and flat forms
Cheriyal busts and masks project from the wall, introducing shadows and physical presence. They can sit beautifully beside flatter painted plates because the shared colour and visual language hold the arrangement together.
Use one sculptural piece as the anchor and place smaller plates around it. Avoid crowding the composition; the silhouette of each form should remain visible.
Place it against unexpected colours
A neutral wall allows Cheriyal’s reds, yellows, blues and greens to take centre stage. But the work can also be striking against deep navy, forest green, ochre or a warm terracotta wall.
If the rest of the room is contemporary, allow the artwork to create contrast. Cheriyal does not need to be surrounded by other overtly Indian objects to feel at home.
Its boldness can sit just as naturally beside modern timber furniture, linen upholstery, collected ceramics and contemporary art.
Bring it into more than the living room
Indian wall art does not need to be confined to a formal reception space.
A small Cheriyal plate can add personality to a kitchen or dining area. A narrative grouping can bring imagination into a hallway or staircase. A sculptural character can sit above a reading corner, while a culturally meaningful figure can become part of a prayer or meditation space.
Because the collection contains mythology, symbolism and everyday characters, there is room to choose a piece that fits the purpose and mood of each setting.
How to recognise authentic Cheriyal-inspired craftsmanship
As Indian folk aesthetics become more visible within interiors, it is worth looking beyond surface resemblance.
A brightly coloured figure is not automatically Cheriyal. The craft has a specific regional history, visual language and method.
When choosing Cheriyal art, consider:
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Where the piece was made
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Whether it was painted by a practitioner of the tradition
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Whether the object is painted by hand or mechanically printed
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Which materials and processes were used
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Whether natural variation is expected and acknowledged
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Whether the maker’s skill and provenance are respected
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Whether the work retains the characteristic line, colour and expression of Cheriyal
Cheriyal painting has received Geographical Indication recognition, reflecting its connection to a particular place and inherited body of knowledge.
Buying thoughtfully helps ensure that the craft is valued as more than a decorative style to be copied.
Why preserving Cheriyal art matters
The decline of travelling storytelling did not make the stories themselves unimportant. It changed the place in which they could be told.
Today, only a limited number of practitioners continue to carry the specialised knowledge behind Cheriyal art. That includes not only the ability to paint in a recognisable style, but an understanding of materials, characters, narrative composition and inherited iconography.
Preserving a craft does not mean placing it behind glass and preventing it from changing.
It means allowing skilled practitioners to continue working, teaching, experimenting and earning from what they know. It means recognising that a smaller wall plate can still carry the memory of a much longer scroll. A sculptural mask can still preserve the gestures, colours and expressions of the painted tradition.
When these objects enter homes, they create new audiences for an old visual language.
The story travels again—differently, but still alive.
Caring for hand-painted Cheriyal décor
Cheriyal pieces should be treated as hand-painted artwork.
Remove surface dust gently with a clean, soft and dry cloth. Avoid abrasive materials, household cleaning sprays or chemical polishes, as these may affect the painted finish.
Keep the work away from persistent damp, excessive heat and prolonged direct sunlight, which may gradually alter the colour or surface.
For sculptural masks and busts, hold the piece carefully by its strongest area rather than pulling it by a projecting feature. Use the hanging loop provided and make sure the wall fitting is appropriate for the object’s weight.
With thoughtful care, a Cheriyal piece can remain vivid for years while retaining the small variations that belong to its handmade nature.
A story does not end when its form changes
Cheriyal art once moved from village to village, accompanied by voices, music and the gradual unfurling of painted cloth.
Today, one part of that long visual story might arrive as a wooden plate, a hand-moulded mask or a single expressive character placed on a London wall.
Its scale has changed. Its ability to hold attention has not.
At āsmi london, our Cheriyal collection is painted by a National Award-winning master craftsperson from Telangana. Each piece has been chosen not simply for its colour, but for the tradition, imagination and human hand held within it.
Explore the āsmi london Decor Accents collection to discover hand-painted Cheriyal wall plates, masks and sculptural pieces for homes that want their walls to say something.
Because some art fills an empty wall.
Cheriyal continues a story.