Srikalahasti Kalamkari in Marriage Mandap Décor: A Sustainable and Innovative Business Model for Cultural Heritage Crafts

Srikalahasti Kalamkari is one of the India’s most significant traditional hand arts, originating in the temple town of Srikalahasti in Andhra Pradesh. Historically craft has been deeply embedded in religious and cultural practices, primarily used for narrative temple textiles, ritual canopies, and storytelling panels depicting episodes from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Executed using natural dyes and hand-drawn with a bamboo pen (kalam), the craft represents a rich confluence of indigenous knowledge systems, ecological sensitivity, and artistic expression.
In the contemporary context, traditional crafts face mounting challenges due to industrialization, mass-produced textiles, declining artisan incomes, and changing consumer preferences. However, the growing global demand for sustainable, handcrafted, and culturally rooted products has created new opportunities for reimagining traditional crafts within modern markets. One such emerging opportunity is the integration of Srikalahasti Kalamkari the craft into marriage mandap décor, positioning within the expanding cultural and experimental wedding industry.
This paper explores the transformation of Srikalahasti Kalamkari from a temple-centric narrative textile into an innovative, scalable, and sustainable décor solution for marriage mandaps. By examining design adaption, material innovation, technological integration, and socio-economic impact, the study highlights how Kalamkari is being repositioned as a contemporary heritage-based business model while preserving its cultural authenticity.

Srikalahasti, Kalamkari, Marriage, Mandap, Décor

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