Born in 1942, Thota Vaikuntam is an Indian painter who in his paintings captures the simple lifestyle of villagers of Telangana, such as paddy fields, toddy pots on shoulders of men, the household chores and temple rituals.
Born in 1942 in Boorugupali, Andhra Pradesh, T. Vaikuntam completed a Diploma in Painting at the College of Fine Arts and Architecture, Hyderabad, in 1970, and then another in Painting and Printmaking from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, in 1972.
The love for women in his paintings can be traced back to his childhood fascination by the impersonations of women characters by the male artists of the theatre groups performing in his village. His muse is the sensuous and voluptuous women of Telangana with their omnipresent vermilion bindis, draped in colourful sircilla sarees that highlight their dusky skin- depicting them in a larger than life format.