This year, Sarmaya Education kicked off our on-ground collaboration with Pratham Education Foundation as part of their initiative, PraDigi Creativity Club. So far, Sarmaya has created memorable learning experiences through art for students in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The Pratham Creativity Club offers three levels of engagement: All, Some and Few. Based on digital resources… Read more »
Odisha’s Pattachitra paintings are rooted in the culture of the seaside town of Puri and, more specifically, in its legendary Jagannath temple
A jatri poti/boti or jatra patta is a pilgrimage scroll that a devotee brings back with him as a souvenir. It also acts as a mobile shrine for anyone unable to visit the temple. This particular Patta depicts different icons and practices of Lord Jagannatha, considered an incarnation of Vishnu. Lord Jagannath’s siblings – Balabhadra… Read more »
Santhali Patas (scrolls) document the day-to-day life of the Santhals, a tribal community from Eastern India. These patas are also known as Chakshudan Pata or Jadu Pata, and the artists who create them are commonly called Jadu Patuas. These painted scrolls are closely linked to the tribe’s belief system and its diverse rites and rituals… Read more »
From pattachitra works showing mythological figures wearing face masks to elaborate Phad paintings that stress the importance of social distancing, India’s indigenous and tribal artists have been creating artworks with important messages about precautionary measures against Covid-19 of late.
This Pattachitra by Laltu Chitrakars depicts the ‘Santhal Janam Katha’, the birth story of the Santhal tribe. The festival of Makar Sankranti, known as Sakrat, is an important celebration in the community. This is an occasion for the Santhal community to go about singing songs from house to house and engage in festivities. Several songs are performed, including… Read more »
Manimala Chitrakar brings a strong point of view to her compositions, whether it’s the Santhal legend of creation or tales from the Ramayana
A jatri poti or jatra patta is essentially a pilgrimage scroll that a devotee brings back with him as a souvenir that also acts as a mobile shrine for anyone unable to visit the original site. This particular patta is of Lord Jagannatha, an incarnation of Vishnu, with his worship centered in the Jagannatha temple… Read more »
A talapattachitra (incised palm leaf manuscript) detailing episodes from the Ramayana and the life of Krishna. Prominent panels include the Rama-Durbar (court of Rama), the war in Lanka, Krishna playing his flute as a cowherd and Kaliya-daman, among others. Smaller roundels depicting smaller episodes from the stories cover up the rest of the space.
This timeless tableau of romance and longing just got sweeter
PATTA PRIMER It’s a practice so ancient, precise and rooted in faith, the art it produces is considered worthy of worship. Like all living traditions, Odisha’s Pattachitra too has its fables, customs and idiosyncrasies. READ MORE EYES RIGHT Thanks to its harmonious play of colours, pleasing symmetry and recognisably Indian motifs, a Pattachitra is a joy… Read more »
The Pattachitra tradition practiced in Odisha and West Bengal is the art of creating religious paintings on fabric, walls, palm leaves or manuscripts. The tradition grew out of ornamenting the sanctum sanctorum of the Jagannatha Temple in Puri, Odisha and eventually spilled out onto different surfaces. Pattachitras were originally created by the chitrakara class of… Read more »
The patachitra tradition practiced in Orissa and West Bengal is the art of creating religious paintings on cloth, wall, palm-leaf or manuscripts. The tradition grew out of ornamenting the sanctum sanctorum of the Jagannatha Temple in Puri, eventually branching out into other domains. They were originally created by the artist (chitrakara) class of Orissa called… Read more »
This pattachitra describes Krishna and Balarama leaving Vrindavan to go to Dwarka – where Krishna settled and ruled as king. Gopis can be seen lining ahead of the chariot and bidding him farewell. Since this a modern rendition of the legend the figures are actually shown waving to each other – a gesture borrowed from… Read more »
The Bengal Pattachitra is a visual and oral art tradition practised by the Patuas or Chitrakars of West Bengal. They earn their livelihood by telling stories from Hindu Mythology, local folklores, Sufi tradition and contemporary themes through paintings and songs. The unfolding or playing of the Pata is called ‘Pat Khelano’, and the song through… Read more »
This is an Orissa Pattachitra detailing the Jagannath temple in Puri, along with other scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The pattachitra tradition is an indegenous artform of Orissa, where religious paintings are done on a canvas created with cotton cloth (called patta). The colours emploed are also natural – derived from various minerals… Read more »
This is a pattachitra created by Akshaya Kumar Bariki, and dealing with the theme of Krishna Raas Lila. The centre of this painting depicts Krishna and Radha sitting under the Kadamba tree, being attended to by gopis. Around the main image are two circular registers occupied by figures of Krishna and the gopis dancing. The… Read more »
Pattachitras helped solidify relationships within the villages—they brought about a kind of unity and oneness