What is Patachitra Painting?

About Patachitra Painting:

• It is a general term for traditional, cloth-based scroll painting based in the eastern Indian states of Odisha and West Bengal. It is believed to have originated as early as the 12th century.
• In the Sanskrit language, "Patta" literally means "cloth" and "Chitra" means "picture".
• It is known for its intricate details as well as the mythological narratives and folktales inscribed in it. Most of these paintings depict stories of Hindu deities.
• It is one of the ancient artworks of Odisha, originally created for ritual use and as souvenirs for pilgrims to Puri, as well as other temples in Odisha.
• Patachitras are a component of ancient Bengali narrative art, originally serving as a visual device during the performance of a song.
• Making:
  • Pattachitra paintings are made on a special canvas where cotton sarees are layered with tamarind paste and then coated with clay powder. 
  • Traditionally, cotton canvas was used; now, both cotton and silk canvas are used for paintings.
  • Once the canvas becomes sturdy, colours are filled in directly without any initial sketches. It is a tradition to complete the borders of the painting first. 
  • All colours are obtained from natural sources like lamp soot and powdered conch shells.
  • Each painting can take up to weeks or months to be prepared.