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Nirmal paintings are named after the city of Nrimal in Adilabad District in
Andhra Pradesh. The ancient history of Nirmal had glorious past with the
overwhelming admiration towards art and culture from the ruling nobility.
Nirmal,
enjoyed the benefaction of ruling graciousness and many dynasties Sourthern
India were much inclined towards the cultural heritage of the town Nirmal.
The empires of Kakatiyas, The Chalukyas, The Vishnukundinis, the Qutubshahis
etc contributed to the growth of cultural heritage and flourished the art. The
ancient history of Nirmal had glorious past with the overwhelming admiration
towards art and culture from the ruling nobility
The
historic heritage can be seen. The kings had constructed and spread
their religions and traditions. Thus why one can see Mohammedan, Shaivate,
vyshnavate traditions, which are reflected in their monuments. Even the French
left over their presence.The gigantic Nirmal fort was built by The French,
which stood grandly till date, at the entrance of the town stands as a witness,
for its fondness towards it.
Stories say that Nirmal was renamed after a village headman and a chieftain
'Neema Naik' who manufactured weapons of war. He also encouraged craftsmanship
of his workers thereby helping the growth and promotion of art of the wood
engraving.
Nirmal , may be a little town in its area but ,It occupies a proud and
significant place on the handicrafts map of India lies in the district of
forests, Adilabad is situated 210 km from Hyderabad, which is the capital city
of Andhra Pradesh, Nirmal is embedded amidst the Sahaydri mountain range
offering a pleasant ambience surrounded by hills and forests thus creating a
vulnerable climate throughout the year.
There is a big community of craftsmen in Nirmal town known as "Nakkash" whose
traditional art is to paint scenes from the Hindu epics such as Mahabharata and
Ramayana These craftsmen use indigenous colours made from minerals, gum and
herbs.
The now familiar gold in Nirmal work is taken from herbal
juices. Over the decades, Nirmal work has been met the new needs. Moving away
from being mere painters of epics, the craftsmen today paint motifs in the
style of the old Indian schools. Moghul miniatures are reproduced beautifully
on soft white wood. This white wood called Ponniki is strengthened with
coatings of tamarind seed paste, fine muslin and pipeclay, before being painted
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