What Is Kalamkari? Pen and Block Kalamkari, Explained

Kalamkari is the hand-drawn, naturally dyed cotton of Andhra Pradesh, and the name tells you how it began: with a pen. If you have met the word on a saree tag, a kurta or a framed temple cloth, this guide explains the two kinds of kalamkari painting, where each is made, how the colours are fixed without chemicals, and how to tell the real thing from a screen print. Updated September 2026.

What does kalamkari mean?

The word comes from Persian: kalam means pen and kari means craftsmanship or art, terms that reached the Deccan with its Persian-speaking courts. Sahapedia, India's open cultural encyclopedia, puts it simply: kalamkari literally means work done with a pen. One Srikalahasti master notes that the older local name was vrathapani, or writing work, which is a good way to think about it. Kalamkari is written onto cloth, line by line, rather than woven into it.

That pen is still the tool. In Srikalahasti the outline is drawn with a bamboo pen with a cotton tip, first sketched in charcoal made from burnt tamarind twigs. The line itself is a solution called kasim, made from jaggery and rusted iron, which turns black as it reacts with the cloth.

Pen kalamkari and block kalamkari: the two styles

Everything sold as kalamkari descends from two centres in Andhra Pradesh, and both are protected as Geographical Indications on the Government of India's GI Registry.

Srikalahasti (pen kalamkari). The temple town of Srikalahasti in the south of the state is home to the freehand style. It is used mostly to narrate religious myths and epic stories on cloth, and artists there have long drawn on the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Bhagavatham for temple hangings. "Srikalahasthi Kalamkari" is GI application no. 28, filed by the artisans' society KARUNA and with a registration certificate dated 12 January 2006. This is what people mean by pen kalamkari: every outline and every fill applied by hand.

Machilipatnam and Pedana (block kalamkari). On the Krishna district coast, the port town of Machilipatnam and the neighbouring town of Pedana work with carved blocks. Sahapedia describes how line drawings are transferred to wooden blocks, typically teak, with a separate block for each colour. The style evolved during Mughal rule and was practised under the Golconda Sultanate. The V&A in London holds a Machilipatnam fragment from around 1855, a white ground with a lattice of red and purple flowers. "Machilipatnam Kalamkari" is GI application no. 90, filed by the Vegetable Hand-block Kalamkari Printers Association and registered on 10 July 2008.

The simplest way to remember it: Srikalahasti tells stories, Machilipatnam makes patterns. Much of what is sold as kalamkari today, especially dress fabric and kurtas, is in the Machilipatnam manner.

How kalamkari is made with natural dyes

Kalamkari is a mordant craft. The colour does not simply sit on the cotton; it bonds to it through metal salts and tannins, which is why a good piece keeps its colour through years of washing. Wikipedia's summary of the process counts twenty-three steps, and every one relies on natural materials.

Sahapedia sets out the Srikalahasti sequence, which runs roughly like this:

1. The cotton is washed, then soaked in buffalo milk mixed with myrobalan fruit dust, which gives it a creamy base and helps the dyes take.
2. The design is sketched in tamarind charcoal and outlined with the pen in kasim, the iron-jaggery black.
3. Areas meant to turn red are painted with alum water, and the cloth then goes into a hot alizarin bath for around 45 minutes.
4. Yellow is added with myrobalan and alum, and blue with indigo.
5. Between stages the cloth is washed in running water, traditionally in the Swarnamukhi river.

In Machilipatnam the washing happens at the Kalia canal, and red and black are printed first, then the cloth is washed and boiled before the yellows and blues are added.

The dyes come from roots, leaves and mineral salts of iron, tin, copper and alum. That palette explains the look everyone recognises: rust reds, iron blacks, mustard, indigo and a warm, never-quite-white ground.

Kalamkari motifs: gods, peacocks and the tree of life

Srikalahasti pieces are narrative. Expect panels of gods, heroes and battle scenes, often with lines of text, arranged like a story told across the cloth. Machilipatnam work is ornamental: Wikipedia lists the interlacing pattern of leaves and flowers, the cartwheel, the lotus, creepers, and birds like parrots and peacocks. Sahapedia adds stylised plants, creepers, geometric designs, animals and human figures, along with Persian and European influences from the port's trading past. If you remember one bird, make it the peacock.

How do you spot genuine kalamkari, and why does it cost more?

Screen-printed and digitally printed "kalamkari" is everywhere, and at a glance it can look convincing. A few checks help:

• Read the colour. Natural dyes give earthy, muted tones; vibrant chemical colours are a warning sign.
• Look for the hand. In pen kalamkari, uneven stripes, smudged paint and tiny stains are signs of authenticity. If every motif is identical to the last millimetre, it was printed by machine.
• Check the edges of a block print. Hand-blocked prints are slightly fuzzy or blurred; very sharp, clean outlines suggest digital printing.
• Smell it. Original kalamkari can smell like milk, an aroma that comes from the many natural dyes it passes through.

Price follows time. One Srikalahasti artist says a single metre with five figures takes about a week, and a full Ramayana on one metre can take more than a month. Set that against a screen print that runs off by the hundred metres, and the price gap between a genuine piece and a lookalike makes sense. Block printing is faster than pen work, but the dyeing, boiling and repeated washing still take far longer than a screen-print run.

How to wear kalamkari

Kalamkari is busy and earthy, so it looks best with plenty of calm around it. A kalamkari dupatta or stole over a solid kurta, or a printed kurta over plain white trousers, is the classic approach. For a more international feel, treat a block-printed piece the way you would a loose tunic or a kaftan: easy linen or cotton trousers, flat sandals, and nothing else patterned.

“Kalamkari’s reds, rusts and indigos come from plant dyes, so wear it with raw cotton and wood or horn jewellery rather than anything bright and metallic,” notes fashion designer Ramola Bachchan, whose label is cut from XS to 8XL.

The palette makes pairing easy. Indigo, rust, ivory and black all come from the dye pot, so any of them will match. Avoid neon brights and shiny synthetics, which make natural dye look dull. For evening, a pen kalamkari silk saree or stole with gold or antique silver jewellery is enough; the drawing is the ornament. And if you like the hand-drawn look but want something lighter for travel, a floral print caftan in soft cotton gives a similar feel in a resort cut.

First Resort does not make kalamkari, but the idea behind it, drawing that begins with a hand, is close to our own. Our Maa print is our signature hand-drawn motif, and it sits happily in the same wardrobe as a kalamkari stole. Browse the Maa print collection or our floral prints to see it.

Frequently asked questions

Which state is famous for Kalamkari?

Andhra Pradesh. Both registered kalamkari traditions come from there: the pen-drawn Srikalahasti style in the south of the state and the block-printed Machilipatnam style from the Krishna district coast around Pedana.

What is the difference between Kalamkari and pen Kalamkari?

Kalamkari is the umbrella name for mordant-dyed, naturally coloured cotton from Andhra Pradesh. Pen kalamkari is the Srikalahasti style, drawn and filled freehand with a bamboo pen; the other style, from Machilipatnam and Pedana, is printed with carved wooden blocks.

Which bird is seen in Kalamkari painting?

The peacock is the bird you will see most often, alongside parrots and swans. Peacocks and parrots appear among the classic Machilipatnam motifs, together with lotus flowers, creepers and the tree of life.

How to identify an original Kalamkari saree?

Look for soft, earthy colours rather than bright chemical ones, small irregularities such as uneven lines or a tiny smudge, and a faint milky smell from the traditional treatment. Block prints that are slightly soft at the edges are a good sign; razor-sharp, flawless printing usually means a digital or screen print.

What is Kalamkari dress material?

Traditionally it is cotton that has been treated with myrobalan and milk, outlined in iron black and coloured with plant dyes such as indigo and myrobalan yellow. Today the same methods are also applied to silk, which is how pen kalamkari silk sarees are made.

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