Kaavi Art of Goa

During his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address in December 2021, the Prime Minister spoke about a dying form of art known as ‘Kaavi Art’.

About Kaavi Art

• It is a form of murals found in Konkan region especially in temples of Goa, parts of coastal Maharashtra and Karnataka.
• The origins of ‘Kaavi art’ is said to have originated in Goa and dispersed into coastal Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala through the Saraswat Brahmin community that migrated from Goa to the coastal districts of these states.
• The term ‘Kaav’ in Konkani refers to Indian red pigment which is the only color used in this painting which is obtained from the laterite soil.
• The Kaav is combined with charcoal and the milky sap of a plant.

Technique: It is done on wet plaster in a manner similar to fresco paintings. The plaster is obtained from burning seashells in a pit, mixing this with washed sand from river beds and jaggery.