Kinnala Dwarapalakas

This is a pair of large Kinnala dwarapalakas standing on lotus petal decorated platforms. Dwarapalakas are door or gate guardians meant to act as protectors.
Kinnala or Kinnal craft comes from a village called Kinnal or Kinhal in Karnataka. This disappearing craft dates back to the Vijayanagara era where kings invited crafts people from across India to come and work in their capital Hampi. After the decline of the Empire, families migrated to the other regions in search of patronage from different Nawabs. It is thought the early practitioners, still called Chitragars (the name means ‘one who draws/paints’), were painters and sculptors of temples and palaces in Hampi.
These dwarapalakas are sculptured from wood, fitted together, and then coated with thick Tamarind gum that can be worked into the correct shapes and is useful in building up facial features. Then layers of cloth soaked in tamarind paste have been applied to coat the figure, followed by the application of traditional vegetable colours.