Cheriyal scroll paintings are a form of Nakashi art. It belongs to a long tradition of narrative storytelling, deeply rooted in Indian mythology and folk tales. Once prevalent across Telangana, this practice is now specialized in a small hamlet in Warangal called Cheriyal.

Cheriyal scroll paintings are a collaborative process between a chitrakar (painter/artist) and a travelling bard. With singing and dancing, they regale rural audiences with stories of times gone by. They bring to life captivating tales on scrolls that are 3 feet wide and 30-60 feet long.

The artists use Khadi canvases treated with sawdust, tamarind paste, coloured stones, white mud, and rice starch. They use natural colours and with brushes traditionally made out of fur, water colours and scissors.

Each scroll tells a story from local legends. These can be from diverse communities, including the Gouda Shetty, the Goud community of toddy tappers, and Chakali Patamvaru, or the washermen community.

Thus art form was certified with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2007.

Traditionally, a chitrakar starts each painting on an auspicious note, with an image of Lord Ganesha, known in Hindu mythology as the remover of obstacles. They follow this with the Trimurti, Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer. Some artisans also lend their artistry to making drishti bommala, or masks that ward off evil, and mandheysavalu, or Golu doll sets.

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