Our Heritage Services

Central to Thanjavur paintings is the idea of syncretism in art, merging various artistic styles, techniques, and traditions to produce a novel and distinctive creation. Today, Thanjavur paintings, referred to locally as palagai padam (images on wooden boards), are internationally acclaimed for their inventive style, bright colors, renowned compositions, and intricate decorations. These paintings, which are characterized by their embossed surfaces embellished with sparkling gold foil, glass beads, and semi-precious jewels and stones, usually feature deities from various religious iconography and mythology. But only a few people know that this peculiar painting style reached its zenith in Thanjavur through a remarkable interplay of inuences from successive dynasties, travellers, trade, and even conicts. Over time, Thanjavur paintings, which trace their roots to the Chola kingdom, acquired these different creative methods and cultural elements. This longstanding painting tradition developed into the contemporary syncretic idiom that we are familiar with and adore thanks to the ingenuity and inventiveness of crafts people.