An ancient art,
kept vibrantly alive✦
Born on the temple walls of Kerala centuries ago, mural painting is a rare tradition known by few today. At Sastha Studio every piece is painted by hand — elegant, sacred and expressive, made for homes and sanctuaries.
Sastha
Sastha’s journey into Kerala mural painting began in 2021, on a family trip to Kerala, standing before the painted life story of Adi Shankara at the temple in Kalady. Driven by a fierce curiosity, she went on to train rigorously across India — the fundamentals in Kadavanthra, six months of advanced shading under Nibinraj at Harsham Mural Studio in Bangalore, and three years at Vastu Vidya Gurukulam studying the sacred slokas, temple restoration and the natural pigment process.
Art became the language she speaks most freely — carrying her past the barriers of dyslexia and language, and connecting her with kindred spirits who share the same devotion. In 2025 she held her debut exhibition, Shalabhanjika, at David Hall, Fort Kochi. Today, from her studio in Malaysia, she breathes modern life into an ancient tradition.
“Every brushstroke is a bridge between past and present.”
— Sastha
Pancha
varna
The classical mural palette is five colours, drawn from the earth and the lamp. In the studio they are rendered in Camel artist’s acrylics sourced from India — or, on request, in authentic natural earth pigment.
Five stages, none skipped
Sketch
Each figure begins as a sketch drawn from the sacred slokas, or from the artist’s own inspiration, on premium anti-fungal canvas prepared for archival life.
The red line
The composition is fixed in a single red line — the foundation every later layer is built upon.
Shading
Colour is laid in and shaded by hand in the classical manner, building depth and volume from light to dark.
Detailing
Ornaments, textiles and expressions are refined stroke by stroke — the stage where each figure finds its character.
The black outline
A final outline in black sharpens every form, and only then is the painting complete.