8.5" Hanuman Cheriyal Mask

Cheriyal (or Cherial), is a story telling craft about 400 years old from Andhra Pradesh.

Storytellers used painted Cheriyal masks to build intrigue for the gathered crowd in any festival to tell religious stories.The masks are lesser known as they are overshadowed by the scroll-paintings which this village is famous for. They really are miniatures of what must have been life-size, rather face-size, in earlier years. Wandering story-tellers used these masks in traditional story telling when they travelled from village to village. Drawn from daily life and mythology, the smaller masks and other toys would be sold in the village once the stories were done with. In Telangana, Today, they are used as decorative items for the home.. They add a eye-popping splash of colour to a dull corner, brightening it immediately. Today the art is survived by a couple of families in the region who are working to keep the traditions alive,

Material: Handmade using a light cotton cloth base, tamarind seeds and sawdust.

Care Instructions :Dry cloth wipe only. Do not soak.