Cheriyal Scroll Painting: Red Panels of Village Life
12 designs Folk paintings Updated 9 Oct 2026
Cheriyal scroll painting comes from the village of Cheriyal near Siddipet in Telangana. It is known for long vertical cloth scrolls, a deep red background and strong, simple shapes packed into stacked panels.
Families of nakashi artists painted these scrolls for travelling storytellers, who unrolled them one panel at a time. The tradition also includes painted wooden masks. Here we show the parts of village life you can paint without people: cattle, carts, huts, trees, birds, fish and the busy borders between panels.
Every picture comes with its base, motifs, the room or person it suits and a tip from the worktable. For another long scroll tradition, compare it with pattachitra painting from Odisha.
Cheriyal Scroll Painting Panels of Village Life
A Cheriyal scroll is read from top to bottom, one band at a time. Each band shows one scene, and a thin patterned strip separates it from the next.
Three huts, two cows and a row of palms fill one wide band. It reads like a quiet morning in a Telangana village.
Artist tip Paint the red ground first and let it dry fully before blocking in the huts.
Two bullocks pull an empty cart past round trees. The strong side view and flat red ground give it real movement.
Artist tip Draw the cart wheels with a compass, then thicken the spokes freehand with a size 2 brush.
Four panels stack down one narrow scroll, from a village well to a fish pond. A good way to see how a full scroll flows.
Artist tip Measure all bands the same height first, then pencil the floral divider strips between them.
Cheriyal Painting Red Backgrounds and Borders
The red ground is the first thing you notice in any cheriyal painting. Borders of small flowers, dots and zigzags then frame each scene and keep the eye moving down the scroll.
A narrow strip of flowers and zigzags, the same kind used between scroll panels. Paint a few of these before a full piece.
Artist tip Use a 0.5 mm black pen for the zigzag lines and a size 0 brush for each flower.
One spreading tree sits inside a double frame on red. Small and calm, it suits a reading corner or a gift.
Artist tip Mix a little brown into bright red so the ground matches the warm, earthy traditional shade.
Lotus flowers cover each corner and dotted bands run between them. Leave the centre plain red or add your own motif.
Artist tip Rule the bands with a steel ruler and pencil, then dot them with the back of a brush.
Cheriyal Painting Telangana: What It Is
Cheriyal is a village near Siddipet in Telangana. Its nakashi artist families painted long scrolls for travelling storytellers, who sang the story while unrolling the cloth panel by panel. Scrolls were made from khadi coated with tamarind seed paste, which gives a smooth, stiff surface for paint.
| Feature | What to look for |
|---|---|
| State | Telangana, Cheriyal village near Siddipet |
| Artists | Nakashi storytelling artisan families |
| Base | Khadi cloth coated with tamarind seed paste |
| Background | Deep red, with yellow, blue, green and white shapes |
| Layout | Long vertical scroll of stacked panels with floral dividers |
| Motifs on this site | Cattle, carts, huts, trees, birds, fish, masks |
Cheriyal Birds and Animals
Animals in Cheriyal work are big, side on and painted in bright flat colour. Cows, deer, parrots, peacocks and fish appear again and again in village scenes.
Two peacocks face each other across a small tree. Mirrored birds make a balanced piece for an entry wall.
Artist tip Paint the blue body first, then add tail eyes in yellow and green once it is dry.
A cow and her calf stand beside a round haystack. The green grass strip grounds the scene against the red.
Artist tip Leave a thin gap of red between white shapes so the black outline sits clean.
Fish swim among lotus while parrots watch from a branch. Two levels in one panel teach you how scroll scenes stack.
Artist tip Paint the pond as a flat blue shape first, then add white water lines with a fine brush.
Cheriyal Art on Canvas, Wall and Wooden Masks
Cheriyal now goes well beyond the scroll. Painters work on canvas, walls and small decor, and the same families also make light wooden masks. For a craft from nearby Bidar in Karnataka, see bidri art.
Deer drink at a pond under tall trees, all on red canvas. A strong centrepiece for a large living room.
Artist tip Give the canvas two red base coats and leave it till morning before you sketch.
A long mural on a red painted wall brings the scroll look to a café, school corridor or verandah.
Artist tip Use exterior acrylic on outside walls and seal with a clear coat after three days.
Light wooden masks shaped as animals, painted in the same bold colours as the scrolls. They make a lively wall group or a gift.
Artist tip Hang masks from a small brass hook and dust them with a soft dry brush, never water.
How to Make a Cheriyal Scroll Painting at Home
- Prepare the cloth. Cut cotton or khadi into a long strip. Brush on a thin starch or primer coat and let it dry for a day. Beginners can use 300 gsm paper.
- Divide the panels. Pencil equal bands down the strip, with a 1.5 cm divider strip between each.
- Lay the red ground. Two thin coats of earthy red. Wait about an hour between coats.
- Block in shapes. Huts, cows, trees and birds in flat yellow, white, blue and green.
- Outline and detail. Black outlines with a size 0 or 1 brush, then dots and flowers on the dividers.
- Roll, never fold. Roll the finished scroll around a cardboard tube with the painted side out.
For another painted style that loves flat colour and bold lines, see manjusha art from Bihar.
Questions about these designs
Cheriyal painting is from which state?
Cheriyal painting is from Telangana. It is named after Cheriyal, a village near Siddipet, where nakashi artist families still paint scrolls and masks.
What is a Cheriyal scroll painting?
It is a long vertical cloth scroll split into stacked panels, each one a scene, on a deep red background. Travelling storytellers once unrolled them while they sang the story. Today smaller single panels are popular for homes.
Why is the background of Cheriyal paintings red?
The deep red ground is the signature of the style. It makes the yellow, white, blue and green shapes stand out, so a scroll could be read from a distance. Hobby painters can mix a little brown into red to get the same warm tone.
What are Cheriyal masks made of?
They are made from light wood, smoothed, then painted in bright colours with black outlines. The same artist families who paint the scrolls make them. Animal masks such as bulls, parrots and tigers make good decor pieces.
How is Cheriyal different from pattachitra?
Both are painted cloth scrolls, but Cheriyal uses a deep red background and stacked panels read top to bottom. Pattachitra from Odisha uses chalk coated cloth, wide ornate borders and finer line work.
What makes a Cheriyal painting cost more?
Price goes up with size, number of panels, natural colours on coated khadi and hours of fine border work. A painted panel costs more than a printed copy, which shows perfectly even lines and no brush marks.
