The Indian town of Machilipatnam (Masulipatnam) is famous for which art?

Machilipatnam (Masulipatnam), a coastal town in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, is famous for its block-printed Kalamkari textiles. The craft is practised especially in the nearby village of Pedana.

Kalamkari is a traditional art of hand-painting or block-printing on cotton or silk cloth using natural dyes. The name comes from the Persian words "qalam" (pen) and "kari" (craftsmanship), meaning "pen work".

There are two main styles of Kalamkari in Andhra Pradesh:

Machilipatnam (Pedana) style: designs are printed with carved wooden blocks, and fine details are added by hand. It developed under the patronage of the Golconda Sultans and the Mughals, and it shows strong Persian influence, with floral designs, creepers, the tree of life and paisley patterns. It was used for bedcovers, curtains, prayer mats and garments, and was widely exported to Persia, Europe and Southeast Asia. Machilipatnam Kalamkari received a GI tag in 2013.

Srikalahasti style: designs are drawn and painted entirely by hand with a bamboo pen (kalam). It developed around the temples of Srikalahasti, and its themes are religious, such as scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas, used for temple hangings and chariot banners. Srikalahasti Kalamkari also has a GI tag.

The process uses natural dyes from plants and minerals, such as indigo, madder root, pomegranate peel and myrobalan, and the cloth is washed many times in running water and cow-dung solution. It can involve up to 23 steps.

Machilipatnam was also a major port in history. The Dutch and the English set up factories here in the 17th century; the English East India Company established a factory in 1611.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Madhubani painting comes from Bihar.
• ✗Pattachitra comes from Odisha (Raghurajpur) and West Bengal.
• ✗Warli painting comes from Maharashtra.