Patachitra or Pattachitra is a general term for traditional, cloth-based

scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyru ...

painting, based in the eastern Indian

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

, and

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

as well as parts of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. Patachitra art form is known for its intricate details as well as mythological narratives and folktales inscribed in it. Pattachitra is one of the ancient artworks of

, originally created for ritual use and as souvenirs for pilgrims to

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

, as well as other temples in Odisha. Patachitras are a component of an ancient

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

narrative art, originally serving as a visual device during the performance of a song.

Etymology

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, the word ''paṭṭa'' means "cloth" and ''chitra'' means "picture". Most of these paintings depict stories of Hindu deities.

Early history

''Charanachitras'', ''Mankhas'', ''Yamapatas'' were ancient forms of paintings executed on textile-scrolls and dealt with themes of a narrative-didactic nature of storytelling, which finds mentions in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts. According to historian N.R Ray, these textile-scroll paintings were ancestors of the Pattachitra art form.

Odisha Pattachitra

Pattachitra is a traditional painting of Odisha, India. These paintings are based on

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

and specially inspired by

Jagannath Jagannath (; formerly ) is a Hindu deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, '' Purushot ...

and

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

traditions. All colours used in the Paintings are natural and paintings are made ancient traditional way by Chitrakaras that is Odiya Painter. Pattachitra style of painting is one of the oldest and most popular art forms of

. The name Pattachitra has evolved from the Sanskrit words ''patta'', meaning canvas, and ''chitra'', meaning picture. Pattachitra is thus a painting done on canvas, and is manifested by rich colourful application, creative motifs, designs, and portrayal of simple themes, mostly mythological in depiction. The traditions of ''pattachitra'' paintings are more than thousand years old. Ostindischer Meister 001

Origin

The paintings of

can be divided into three categories from the point of view of medium, i.e. paintings on cloth or 'Patta Chitra', paintings on walls or 'Bhitti Chitra' and palm leaf engravings or "Tala Patra Chitra" or "Pothi, Chitra'. The style of all these remains more or less the same at a specific time because then the artists were commissioned to work in all these media, it is believed. The painting, the pattachitra, resembles the old murals of

, especially religious centres of

Konark Konark is a medium-sized town in the Puri district in the state of Odisha, India. It lies on the coast by the Bay of Bengal, 65 kilometres from the state capital Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century Konark Sun Temple, Sun Temple, also ...

and

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...

region, dating back to the 5th century BC. The best work is found in and around

, especially in the village of

Raghurajpur Raghurajpur is a heritage crafts village in Puri district, Odisha, India, known for its master Pattachitra painters, an art form which dates back to 5 BC in the region, and Gotipua dance troupes, the precursor to the Indian classical dance f ...

. This old tradition of Odia painting still survives in places like

Paralakhemundi Paralakhemundi shortly known as Parala is district Headquarter of Gajapati district and one of the oldest Municipality established in 1885, in the Indian state of Odisha. The city and the district share its boundaries with Andhra Pradesh. The ...

Chikiti Chikiti is a town and a notified area council located in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India. Geography Chikiti is located at . It has an average elevation of . Demographics India census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to as ...

and Sonepur. Lord

in the present form is being taken as the origin of the Patta style. The colour schemes of the deities of Puri are quite similar to those of the Patta style. The oldest record of Patta Paintings probably does not go beyond the establishment of the present shrine of Shri Jagannath at Puri. It may be since paintings do not survive like sculptures. The paints inside the shrines of Lord Jagannath at Puri make the date probable. The oldest classical marble paintings of Sitabanji at

Keonjhar Kendujhar, also known as Keonjhar, is a town with municipality in Kendujhar District in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kendujhar district, and it is one of the fifth scheduled areas of Odisha ...

do not conform to the present style of Patta painting wholly. The wooden statues of the three deities are also covered with cloth and then overlaid with glue mixed with chalk, and then given paint only with four limited colours of

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

. The deities who are held in high esteem by the

Odias The Odia (), formerly spelled Oriya, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Indian state of Odisha who speak the Odia language. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state, with significant minority populations ...

and who inspire religion, life and activity of the people also carry with them a tradition of art and painting which is as old as the deities themselves. If the Savara origin of

is accepted, the date of the Patta paintings can be dated back to an earlier period. These paintings were originally substitutes for worship on days when the idols were kept away from the public after their ritual bath.

Theme and style

The theme of Odia painting centres round the

and the

sect. Since the beginning of Pattachitra culture, Lord

who was an incarnation of Lord

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

has been the major source of inspiration. The subject matter of Pattachitra is mostly mythological, religious stories and folk lore. Themes are chiefly on Lord Jagannath and

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

, different "Vesas" of Shri Jagannath,

Balabhadra In Jainism, Balabhadra or Baladeva are among the sixty-three illustrious beings called '' śalākāpuruṣas'' that are said to grace every half cycle of time. According to Jain cosmology, ''śalākāpuruṣa'' are born on this earth in every ...

and

Subhadra Subhadra (, ) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is a princess from the Yadava clan and the sister of Krishna and Balarama. Subhadra married Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers and had a son named Abhimanyu. Sub ...

, temple activities, the ten incarnations of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

basing on the '

Gita Govinda The ''Gita Govinda'' (; IAST: ''gītagovindam'') is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva. It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and ''gopis'' (female cow herders) of Vrindavan. The ''Gita Govinda'' is organiz ...

' of Jayadev, Kama Kujara Navagunjara,

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

. The individual paintings of gods and goddesses are also being painted. The Pattachitra style is a mix of both folk and classical elements, but leans more towards folk forms. The dress style has

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

influences. All of the poses have been confined to a few well-defined postures. These are not free from monotonous repetitions, though at times this is necessary to accentuate the narrative character of the style. The lines are bold and clean and angular and sharp. Generally, there are no landscapes, perspectives, or distant views. All the incidents are seen in close juxtaposition. The background on which the figures are represented is delineated with decorations of flowers and foliage, and is mostly painted in red colour. All the paintings are given decorative borders. The whole painting is conceived in the form of a design on a given canvas. The themes may be classified into following categories * Jagannath paintings * Vaishnav Paintings * Bhagabat paintings * Ramayana paintings * Saiva paintings * Shakta paintings * Paintings as legends * Ragachitras * Bandhachitra * Yamapati and yatripatas – (sketches of puri temple) Ganjapa playing card paintings and other social themes on paintings. * Navagunjara

Technique

Traditionally, the painters are known as ''chitrakars''. A patta painter's home with all the members of the family is his studio. Woman members prepare the glue, the canvas and apply colours which we call the fill-in, and give the final lacquer coating. The master hand, mostly the male member, draws the initial line and gives the final finishing touch. Patta paintings are done on small strips of

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

cloth. The

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

is prepared by coating the clothing with a mixture of chalk and gum made from

Guar The guar (from : gvār) or cluster bean, with the botanical name ''Cyamopsis tetragonoloba'', is an annual plant, annual legume and the source of guar gum. It is also known as gavar, gawar, or guvar bean. The genus name ''Cyamopsis'' means '' ...

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...

seeds. Then it is rubbed by taking the help of two different stones, and then the cloth is dried. The mixture of gum and

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...

gives the cloth's surface a leathery finish on which the artists paint with vegetable, earth and stone colours. The painters do not use pencil or

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

for the preliminary drawings. They are so expert in the line that they simply draw directly with the brush, either in light red or yellow. Then the colours are filled in. The final lines are drawn, and the patta is given a lacquer coating to protect it from the weather, thus making the painting glossy. This process of glazing or varnishing is quite interesting. The painting is held over a fireplace so that the back of the painting is exposed to heat. On the surface of the painting, fine lacquer is applied.

Colour

Pattachitras are painted in five natural colours - Hingula, Haritala, Kala, Sankha and Geru, which are: Vermilion, Green, Black, Pearl White and Brick Orange respectively. There are typical scenes and figures, like Krishna, Gopis, elephants, trees, and other creatures are seen in these paintings. Krishna is always painted in blue and the Gopis in light pink, purple or brown colours. The painters use vegetable and mineral colours without going for factory-made poster colours. They prepare their own colours. White colour is made from the

conch Conch ( , , ) is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high Spire (mollusc), spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ...

-shells by powdering,

boiling Boiling or ebullition is the rapid phase transition from liquid to gas or vapor, vapour; the reverse of boiling is condensation. Boiling occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, so that the vapour pressure of the liquid is equal to ...

and

filtering Filtration is a physical process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture. Filter, filtering, filters or filtration may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Fil ...

in a very hazardous process. It requires a lot of patience. But this process gives brilliance and prominence to the

hue In color theory, hue is one of the properties (called color appearance parameters) of a color, defined in the CIECAM02 model as "the degree to which a stimulus can be described as similar to or different from stimuli that are described as ...

. 'Hingula', a mineral colour, is used for red. 'Haritala', king of stone ingredients for yellow, 'Ramaraja', a sort of indigo for blue, are being used. Pure lamp-

or black prepared from the burning of

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

shells are used. There was no blue, either cobalt or ultramarine, in the earlier colour schemes. The colours used in the Patta paintings are primarily bright colours, limited to red, yellow, indigo, black and white. The brushes that are used by these 'Chitrakaras' are also indigenous and are made of hair of domestic animals. A bunch of hair tied to the end of a

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

stick makes the brush.

Palm leaf Pattachitra

Palm leaf ''pattachitra'', which is in the Odia language known as ''Tala Pattachitra'' drawn on a palm leaf. First of all, palm leaves are left to harden after being taken from the tree. Then these are sewn together to form like a canvas. The images are traced by using black or white ink to fill grooves etched on rows of equal-sized panels of palm leaf that are sewn together. These panels can also be easily folded like a fan and packed in a compact pile for better conservation. Often, palm-leaf illustrations are more elaborate, obtained by superimposing layers that are glued together for most of the surface, but in some areas can open like small windows to reveal a second image under the first layer.

Gallery

File:Papier-mâché mask at Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India 01.jpg, Papier-mâché mask of Goddess Kali painted in the Pattachitra idiom, Kala Bhoomi Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar. File:Exhibits at the Odisha Crafts Museum 17.jpg, Wooden Ramalila masks painted in the Pattachitra style, Kala Bhoomi Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar. File:Konark palm leaf manuscript.jpg, Tala Pattachitra, palm leaf painting showing the architectural plan of the Sun Temple of Konark, Odisha. File:Wooden toys of women at Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.jpg, Wooden statuettes painted in the Pattachitra style, Kala Bhoomi Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar. File:Wooden torana at Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India 04.jpg, Prabha of Devi Subhadra's

Ratha Ratha (Proto-Indo-Iranian: ''*Hrátʰas'', Vedic Sanskrit: रथ, ; Avestan: ''raθa'') is the Indo-Iranian term for a spoked-wheel chariot. The term has been used since antiquity for both fast chariots and other wheeled vehicles pulled by an ...

, Puri, Odisha. File:Narasimha Mural Puri.jpg, Modern wall mural of

Narasimha Narasimha (, , or , ), is the fourth avatara of the Hindu god Vishnu in the Satya Yuga. He incarnated as a part-lion, part-man and killed Hiranyakashipu, ended religious persecution and calamity on earth, and restored dharma. Narasimha has th ...

in a street of Puri, Odisha.

Bengal Patachitra

The Bengal Patachitra refers to the painting of

and

. It is a traditional and mythological heritage of

. The Bengal Patachitra is divided into some different aspects like ''Durga Pat'', '' Chalchitra'', ''Tribal Patachitra'', ''Medinipur Patachitra'', and '' Kalighat Patachitra''. The subject matter of Bengal Patachitra is mostly mythological, religious stories, folk lore and social. The Kalighat Patachitra, the last tradition of Bengal Patachitra is developed by Jamini Roy. The artist of the Bengal Patachitra is called Patua.Giusti, M. and Chakraborty, U. (ed.). ''Immagini Storie Parole. Dialoghi di formazione coi dipinti cantati delle donne Chitrakar del West Bengal''. Mantova: Universitas Studiorum, 2014, Patachitra of Naya village in

is now collected in National Museum of Ethnology (henceforth MNE) in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

. Extrait de Chandi Mangal de Meena Chitrakar (Naya Bengale) (1439706046).jpg, Patachitra of Naya village Extrait de Ramayana de Hazra Chitrakar (Naya Bengale) (1438842569).jpg, Patachitra of Naya village Medinipur Patachitra - durga.jpg, Goddess Durga and her family in Medinipur Patachitra

Origin

Patachitra is known for its excellent play of colour. It is a traditional folk art form of rural Bengal. There are some controversial opinions about the dates of ancient Patas. But it has been suggested based on historical themes connected with the accompanied songs like Patua Sangeet. It dates back to the Pre- Pala period which is still tucked away with small villages of

Midnapore Medinipur or Midnapore is a city known for its history in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the West Medinipur district. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River (variously known as ''Kasai'' and ''Cossye''). ...

Bankura Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology It comes from the old Austric word ráŕhá or ráŕho which means “land of red soil”.P.R. Sarkar Rarh - ...

Purulia Purulia, officially Purulia Sadar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Purulia district. It is located on the north of the Kangsabati River. Geography Location Purulia is locate ...

Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...

, Hooghly and

24 Parganas 24 Parganas (Pron: pɔrɡɔnɔs; abbr. 24 PGS), or sometimes Twenty Four Parganas, is a former district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Alipore. On 1 March 1986, the district was bifurcated into two separate districts namel ...

. There are some Jadu-Patuas painting of mural style in the temples of

Bankura District Bankura district (Pron: bãkuɽa) is an District#India, administrative unit in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is part of Medinipur division—one of the five Divisions of West Bengal, administrative divisi ...

in West Bengal. Jadupatua painting

Theme and style

Swarna Chitrakar - Kolkata 2014-02-14 3080

There are many types of Pots like religious, secular. Religious pots encompass the story of Hindu epics like, mythology, Ramayana, Mahabharata narrating stories of Hindu gods and goddesses like

Radha Krishna Radha-Krishna (IAST , ) is the combined form of the Hindu god Krishna with his chief consort and ''shakti'' Radha. They are regarded as the feminine as well as the masculine realities of God and gender in Hinduism, God, in several Krishnaism, Kr ...

Chaitanya Chaitanya or Chaithanya may refer to Philosophy *Chaitanya (consciousness), Hindu philosophical concept People *Chaitanya (name) *Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533), founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism Media *Chaitanya (film), ''Chaitanya'' (film), ...

Kali Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...

, Shiba and the indigenous Bengali folklore of Manasha and Chandi, Behula and Lakshinder being the most popular. Secular pots depicts important news events, scandals accidents etc. such as bus accidents at Narayangarh, rural elections, the rationing system, family planning, evils of the dowry system etc. Every Patachitra has a song related to it, which the artists sing while unfurling the Patachitra. Singing pot in Bengal is called Patua Sangeet. Patua Sangeet or Poter Gan is a cultural tradition of the singing Bengal Patachitra. It is performed by Patua. It is famous in the village part of

Birbhum Birbhum district () is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is in Suri. Other impo ...

Jhargram Jhargram is a city and a municipality in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jhargram district. It is a popular tourist destination known for its forests, ancient temples and royal pa ...

Bardhaman Bardhaman (, ), officially Bardhaman Sadar, is a city and municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an a ...

and

Murshidabad Murshidabad (), is a town in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. This town is the headquarters of Lalbag subdivision of Murshidabad district. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly river, Bhagirathi Riv ...

as a folk song of

Aspects of painting

Bengal Patachitra painting has a different type of motive and aspects that unrolled the Bengali culture. Using the mythological epic and the natural color it is one of the individual characteristics of the Bengal Patachitra.

Chalchitra

Chalchitra is a part of ''Bengal Patachitra'', It referred to the ''Debi Chal'' or ''Durga chala'', the background of the

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

Pratima or idol. Patua, the artists of Chalchitra called it as Pata Lekha, means the writing of Patachitra. 300–400 years old idols of Nabadwip Shakta Rash used Chalchitra as a part of Pratima. At a time, the use of Chalchitra became fade, but now it has a great popularity.

Durga Pot

Durga pot or Durga sara is recognised as the worshiped patachitra. It worshiped in the ''Hatsarandi Sutradhar society'' of

Birbhum district Birbhum district () is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is in Suri. Other impo ...

on Durga puja time. This type of patachitra is also worshiped is Katwa. Durga Pot has a hemispherical Patachitra where Patachitra of Durga is in the middle position. Ram, Sita, Shib, Nandi-Vringi, Brahma, Vishnu, Shumbha-Nishumbha are painted on this kind of Chalchitra. Krishnanager Rajrajeshwari Durga is seen to be uniquely noticed. In the middle of the Chalchitra, there is Panchanan Shib and Parvati is beside him, on one side there is Dasha-mahabidya and the other side, there is Dashabatar.

Technique

The Patachitra of different districts of

are characterized by many peculiarities in colour and design. The patachitra of

Manbhum Manbhum District was one of the districts of the East India during the British Raj. After India's independence, the district became a part of Bihar State. Upon the reorganization of the Indian states in the mid-1950s, the Manbhum district was ...

, now known as

can easily be distinguished by their preference for one particular shade of burnt sienna relieved by white and yellow patches and densely packed composition. The seated figures of Dasaratha and Chand Sadagar of Medinipur crowning the

and Kamale-Kamini scrolls are impressive and monumental. In the scrolls of pot of

and

Burdwan Bardhaman (, ), officially Bardhaman Sadar, is a city and municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an a ...

preference for Indian red background usually found, the scrolls of Hooghly preferred a dark brown. The Hooghly and

'pats' are peculiar and definitely modernistic with the abstract linear treatment.

Colour

Use of natural color is one of the individual characteristics of the Bengal Patachitra. In general, blue,

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

and

are used in the Patachitra of

. Chalk dust is used for white color, pauri for yellow color, cultivated indigo for blue, bhushakali for black and mete sindur for red color.

Artists

Bengal Patua artists carry the occupational surname of 'Chitrakar'. They are concentrated in the village of Naya in Medinipur district of

. Prominent artists include Khandu and Radha Chitrakar and their children Bapi, Samir, Prabir, Laltu, Tagar, Mamoni and Laila Chitrakar. Monimala is known for her use of bold, primal colours and the development of her own iconographic style.

References

Citations

External links

Patachitra of Medinipur (Midnapore)

Past of Pattachitra

Essential Ideas on Pattachita

Pattachitra Painting

* Pattachithra – the amazing folk art of Odisha
OpenArt India
{{Authority control Geographical indications in West Bengal Arts of Odisha Bangladeshi painting Geographical indications in Odisha Culture of Odisha Schools of Indian painting Culture of West Bengal Indian folk art

Etymology

Early history

Odisha Pattachitra

Origin

Theme and style

Technique

Colour

Palm leaf Pattachitra

Gallery

Bengal Patachitra

Origin

Theme and style

Aspects of painting

Chalchitra

Durga Pot

Technique

Colour

Artists

References

Further reading

External links