Olive Green Cheriyal Mask – Hand-painted Folk Art distressed wooden box india Phad painting travelled Rajasthan's villages

Phad painting travelled Rajasthan's villages as portable theatre

the same form traditionally placed behind an idol in South Indian temples to represent its radiance

which is why this box is built with six internal compartments beneath a lid painted with the full dance

Cheriyal artisans have traditionally painted each mask in a single dominant colour

The lightweight wooden base keeps it comfortable for daily wear

Olive Green Cheriyal Mask – Hand-painted Folk Art distressed wooden box india Phad painting travelled Rajasthan's villagesMost Cheriyal masks lean toward the reds, yellows, and oranges associated with festival colour, so an olive green pair stands a little apart closer to the tone of neem leaves and the courtyard mud walls found in the villages around Cheriyal, near Warangal in Telangana, than to a festive palette. The form and the making, though, are unchanged: this is still the same 400 year old Nakashi craft, GI tagged since 2010, that was once used by travelling