Traditionally, Kerala mural paintings are frescoes depicting scenes from Hindu mythology and legends. These were painted on the walls of temples in south India and have been traced back to the 12th century AD.
The artists would first laboriously prepare the stone walls of the temples by plastering them in various combinations lime, sand and cotton.
The colours were prepared from locally sourced vegetable and minerals to create the five colours principally used in the frescoes - red, yellow, green, black and white. The pigments were then bound by using a mixture of leaf sap and tender coconut to create stunning murals.
The largest single mural in Kerala is a massive 49 square meters and can be seen in Krishnapuram palace near Trivandrum. Today, artists are reviving and innovating this style by presenting them on canvas and paper to create vibrant masterpieces.
