Kalamkari painting refers to | UPSC Prelims 2015 General Studies

Explanation

A
a hand-painted cotton textile in South India
Kalamkari is a South Indian tradition of hand-painted (and also block-printed) cotton textile, especially Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The name is from Persian qalam (pen) + kari (craft). This option is the official key.
B
a handmade drawing on bamboo handicrafts in North-East India
Bamboo handicraft drawing in the North-East is a different craft, not Kalamkari. This option is not the key.
C
a block-painted woollen cloth in Western Himalayan region of India
Block-painted woollen cloth of the western Himalaya describes other textiles (e.g. some Himachal traditions), not Kalamkari. This option is therefore wrong.
D
a hand-painted decorative silk cloth in North-Western India
Hand-painted silk of the north-west is not the Kalamkari definition; Kalamkari is cotton of the Coromandel. This option is not the key.

Summary. Official key is (a) a hand-painted cotton textile in South India. Srikalahasti kalamkari is pen-painted mythological cotton; Machilipatnam uses blocks with the same dye tradition. North-East bamboo, Himalayan wool and north-western silk are other crafts. Only (a) is Kalamkari.

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