Siddipet batik paintings seek GI tag, application filed in Chennai
SIDDIPET: Telangana’s traditional textile art form, Siddipet Batik paintings, is seeking a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, with an application filed before the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai.
The application was submitted by the Siddipet Batik Paintings Society with assistance from Resolute IP Services LLP chief executive officer and GI practitioner Subhajit Saha. It has been assigned application number 1707. With this, Siddipet Batik paintings have become the 31st GI tag application from Telangana.
The art form was popularised in Siddipet by National Award winner Yasala Balaiah, who died in 2020. While it uses a wax-resist dyeing technique similar to traditional batik, Siddipet Batik is distinct in its visual language, depicting rural Telangana life through standalone paintings.
Unlike conventional batik, which largely features geometric, botanical or ornamental motifs, Siddipet Batik focuses on everyday village scenes and cultural narratives. The paintings are produced mainly in Bharath Nagar in Siddipet (Urban) mandal.
Artisans in Siddipet have also developed a specialised batik pen that enables precise wax application. Unlike commercially manufactured tools, the locally made pen allows controlled, drop-by-drop wax flow through its nib, resulting in finer detailing.
Another defining feature of Siddipet Batik is the use of natural dyes extracted from indigenous plants, minerals and organic sources. While batik originated in Indonesia and later spread across the Indian subcontinent, regional variations evolved based on local culture, motifs, colour palettes and available natural resources.
