It is said that during the 13th-19th Century, Andhra Pradesh witnessed a rise of moving artists. Who were these artists? These artists comprised of singers, musicians and painters. They were called Chitrakattis. What did the Chitrakattis do? They went around from village to village, sharing the stories found in Hindu Mythology, in the form of street plays. They soon came up with an idea of painting a canvas in the spot, where they performed to enhance the understanding of the viewers. They painted it with natural dyes extracted from plants. This was how the art of Kalamkari was introduced in India. This art form soon gained prominence and witnessed that numerous temples had panels of Kalamkari art, illustrating the stories of mythology. This work is often even claimed to be similar to the art form in Odisha, Pattachitra, wherein they paint mythological characters on cloth. This art form flourished during the reign of the Sultan of Golconda in Hyderabad. These Mughal rulers of the Golconda and Coromandel regions appreciated the art form and called its skilled craftsmen “ Qualamkars”.