Published on April 5, 2026
A classical artform from southern India, Thanjavur painting – also known as Tanjore painting – is a celebration of the region’s rich artistic tradition, named after the town of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, India. Tanjore paintings are known for their extravagant depictions of deities using vibrant colours and gaudy embellishments, especially gold foil. Though the artform has undergone various changes over the years, it continues to be popular with lovers of art even today, and inspires many artists with its truly Indian style.
Tanjore painting drew inspiration from Indian art of the 16th century, when the Vijayanagara Rayas administered their vast kingdom in southern India through the Nayaka Governors. The Nayakas were great patrons of art and literature.
In 1676, Maratha rule was established in the region, and Maratha rulers encouraged the flourish of art and artists. It was during this time that Tanjore painting truly flourished and developed into the form and style in which we recognize it today. Maratha palaces and buildings were adorned with large paintings of deities, as well as Maratha rulers, courtiers, and nobility. Almost all the deities were depicted with rounded faces, almond-shaped eyes, and streamlined bodies. Flat colours were used to paint the figures, which were often compactly placed within arches, drapes, and ornate borders. The dense composition was a distinct feature of Tanjore paintings, and faces were usually shaded to add a feeling of depth.
With the decline of the Maratha rule, the Britishers who had come into Tanjore in the wake of the Mysore Wars of 1767-99 patronised the Tanjore artists. In 1773, a British garrison was installed in Tanjore, turning it into a base for British troops. Indian artists in and around Tanjore prepared sets of paintings for Company personnel throughout the next century.
These sets were called albums or album paintings. They were collections of “native” or “Indian” subjects, painted in a manner that appealed to English sensibilities and tastes. The usual subjects of deities and episodes from Hindu mythology were joined piqued the interest of the English, such as fairs, ceremonies, festivals, caste occupations, and Indian flora and fauna. These paintings were often completed with little or no gold foil and avoided any glass or gem inlay. They also carried short descriptions about the subject matter in English, and occasionally in Tamil or Telugu. Though these paintings were grouped under the Company style of painting, they were typically Tanjore in style and characterisation, executed group of traditional artists.
Tanjore paintings are known as palagai padam – meaning “picture on a wooden plank” – as they are typically completed on boards made from jackfruit or teak wood. The use of vibrant colours and gold leaf embellishments are characteristic of Tanjore paintings, with cut glass, pearls, and precious and semi-precious stones also used for decoration.
While artists in the past used vegetable and mineral dyes as natural colours for these artworks, over time, chemical paints have taken over. The dazzling colour palette of Tanjore paintings uses vibrant shades of reds, blues, and greens. This, along with the richness and dense compositions of these paintings, ensures that they stand out from other Indian artforms. Common themes in Tanjore paintings include Bal Krishna, Lord Rama, as well as other gods, goddesses, saints, and subjects from Hindu mythology.
In the olden days, Tanjore paintings were executed community of Tanjore and Tiruchy and the Naidu community of Madurai. These artists, who were originally Telugu-speaking and hailing from Andhra Pradesh, moved to Tamil Nadu after the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire. Patronage was of utmost importance to these artists, and the size of the paintings varied depending upon the subject and the patron’s choices.
The technique of Tanjore painting demanded a great deal of perseverance and perfection from artists. Furthermore, the creation of the artwork, considered a sacred task, was to be performed with some degree of ritual purity and humility craftsmen. Remaining true to the Indian artistic tradition, most artists chose to remain anonymous and never signed their paintings.
Tanjore painting not only drew heavily from the diverse cultural groups that patronised the artform, but it was also influenced painting styles which were under the Vijayanagara school, like the Kalamkari and Tirupati styles of painting. Tirupati paintings, produced in the famous temple town of Tirupati using different media and techniques, portrayed deities, and many were gilded and gem-set in a manner similar to Tanjore paintings.
A bulk of reverse glass paintings – another genre of traditional Indian art – from southern India were heavily influenced and depicted religious figures in vibrant colours, with metallic foils and details adding to the richness of the artworks. The popular artform of Mysore painting shares many characteristics with Tanjore painting, often leading to confusion between the two. They were both executed the Raju and Naidu communities and have roots in the Vijayanagara period.
Though the styles are remarkably similar, there are notable differences, like the use of paper as the base for Mysore paintings and its limited use of gold foil, glass beads, and precious and semi-precious stones. The themes in Mysore paintings reflect the contemporary style that was prevalent in the Mysore Palace, also featuring more elaborate landscapes, in contrast to the dense composition of Tanjore paintings.
The tradition of Tanjore painting is kept alive even today, mostly by a few dedicated artists based in Tamil Nadu. Along with the shift to the use of synthetic colours in the artworks, jackfruit and teak wood have also been replaced .
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