Patachitra Art: Handcrafted Masterpieces

Patachitra translates to scroll painting. It is practised in many regions of India, most notably in Bengal and Orissa. The Patachitra scroll paintings essentially cater to a religious purpose, depicting Hindu deities and episodes from Hindu epics and sometimes local folklore. Traditionally made of cloth, as textile artworks, only natural handmade pigments are used by the artist or chitrakar. The oldest visual representation of art is found in the surviving mural paintings in the regions of Orissa, majorly in Puri and Raghurajpur cities. All members of the artist's family would be involved in making these detailed and nuanced artworks, men and women alike. A tedious process entails painting on thin strips of cloth. This cloth is coated with natural glue, buffed and primed, whereby it attains a leather-like surface on which the line drawings and colours are imposed with dexterous skill.