Kamangari Painting

Kamangari wall painting is an art form particular to Kachchh. The affluent would commission artists to paint the walls of their houses, places of work and worship. The paintings were done on a wet plastered wall to make them last longer. Brushes made from the bark of palm trees and colours extracted from leaves, pebbies and clay mixed with gypsum were used to paint scenes from Indian epics and the stories of local people. Some paintings even featured cricket matches, trains and planes, which did not exist in Kachchh until a century ago, themes that may have been introduced by traders who had travelled afar.
The arrival of the British in Kachchh provided more subjects to the Kamangari artists who started depicting uniformed policeman and band parties in their murals. The first British political agent of this region. Captain McMurdo, hired an artist to paint the walls of his house in Anjar (60 km from Bhuj) with the scenes from Ramayana. It is one of the few places where this art is still preserved. The Kutch Museum and Aaina Mahal in Bhuj have a good collection of Kamangari art.