ChitraVault: A Chitrakavi-Inspired Multi-Modal Authentication Framework for Password Vault Security

Abstract

ChitraVault is an exploratory conceptual authentication architecture that investigates whether geometric visual traversal patterns, drawn from the Chitrakavi (சித்திரக்கவி) classical Tamil literary tradition, can augment password vault security by adding a spatial-behavioral dimension to cryptographic key derivation. This paper proposes the Visual Pattern Key Derivation Function (VP-KDF), which combines a user-drawn Chitrakavi geometric pattern, a text passphrase, and a hardware-bound device fingerprint as inputs to Argon2id key stretching. The framework maps four classical Chitrakavi patterns — Chakra Bandha (wheel), Naga Bandha (serpent), Gomutrika (zigzag), and Thiruezhukkootrirukkai (triangle) — onto distinct cryptographic roles within a zero-knowledge password vault architecture. This work is framed as an exploratory research program, not a finished cryptographic system. All security arguments are bounded by stated assumptions and require empirical and cryptanalytic validation. Future work includes controlled user studies, formal security proofs, and prototype evaluation. Author: Arvind VijayakumarIndependent ResearcherMay 2026