Kinnala

Kinnala is a small town near Koppal in North Karnataka, known for an art form that carries centuries of devotion and imagination. The Kinnala craft is said to have taken root during the time of the Vijayanagara Empire, when artisans were invited to create idols and temple sculptures for the great city of Hampi. Even after the empire’s fall, the tradition survived in the villages, where clay and wood became the medium of storytelling.

The craft is deeply tied to mythology and temple culture. Figures of gods, goddesses, and epic heroes are shaped from soft wood, layered with paste made of tamarind seed and clay, and painted in vivid natural colors. These sculptures once adorned chariots, shrines, and village festivals, carrying sacred stories into the everyday lives of people.

Kinnala is not just about objects — it is about tradition as a living presence. Families of artisans still practice the craft, passing it down through generations. Their work reflects a balance between devotion and artistry: every form they create is at once a prayer and a piece of cultural memory.

The town itself holds this heritage quietly, surrounded by fields and hills, close to the ruins of Vijayanagara. In Kinnala, history, spirituality, and craft flow together — reminding us that culture lives not only in monuments, but in the hands that continue to shape it.

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