Have you ever heard of Kawad art….no, then let us introduce you to this beautiful Indian art. Kawad art is a beautiful way of telling stories related mainly to Mahabharata and Ramayana, but other local folklore also finds a place in it. Nowadays educational stories are being combined with this art to attract viewers and listeners.
Mewar the home of this art has been producing these stories for at least 400 years. The stories are told in the form of hand paintings which are done over brightly colored wooden boxes. These wooden boxes are interlinked to each other and open and close just like a puzzle. Neem wood is often used to create wooden boxes for this art as neem wood hardly rottens, making the artwork to survive through ages. Though semal and mango wood is also used.
Originally kawads were made only on a red background, but now there are variety of other colors which have found place in this art.
People who prepare the temple like structure which forms the basic structure of the kawad art are called Suthar. They prepare and paint the kawads.
Kavadiya Bhats is the community which translate these picture into stories. They are the storytellers and often visit different villages to tell these stories. It is a way of living for them.
