The unique art and artists of Odisha - Venturing into the world of Pattachitra

14km away from Puri, on the banks of river Bhargavi, nestled among amidst coconut and palm groves, is one quaint village called Raghurajpur. The name Raghurajpur derives from ‘Raghuraja’ which refers to Lord Rama. It is believed that Lord Rama stayed in this village for a short time during his 14-year exile.

In 2000 this village was officially given the title of Heritage Village of Odisha, after a two-year research and documentation by INTACH (The Indian national Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage).

The village is famous for Pattachitra art and artists. Pattachitra means painting (chitra) on leaf (patta). It is a unique art form of painting over palm leaves which is unique to Raghurajpur, Odisha in the whole world. The village has a long road with houses on both sides of the road, each house has artists creating amazing Pattachitra paintings. The art is also extended to painting on silk cloth and Tussar silk.

As per folklore, this art form originated million years back when Lord Jagganatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra used to reside there. Every year on one auspicious day, people used to gather to meet them and take their blessings. One year they could not be physically available to meet people as they fell sick, so the locals made their painting and kept it for people to visit. Even today, during the Rath Yatra, when the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out in the procession, pattachitra of the idols is placed in the temple.

I got to understand the art in detail with the talented artist Mr. Subudhi whom I met in the village. I visited his house which looked nothing less than an art studio. His living room was filled with amazing paintings and art pieces.

All paintings are hand painted. It starts with preparation of tamarind paste which is applied on the pieces of cloth, later dried and smoothened to make a canvas. After that comes the real skill of Chitrakars, to draw the paintings on canvas. On palm leaves, they first need to carve out an outline with a pointed object before they can start painting. The border is one of the most important and creative aspects of pattachitra. The faces in the paintings have exaggerated eyes, pronounced chins and long beak-like noses. Only natural colour pigments are used, and the colour can last a lifetime.

Some paintings were so big, and the work was so intricate, that it takes months to make a single painting. There were paintings that would fit one entire wall and had entire Ramayana story carved into one single painting.

I was just mesmerized looking at the paintings, the stories they told and the artists who still live a very simple life in the village. I met Mr. Subudhi’s wife and newly born son, Gopal who will also be one fine artist in next few years. It’s astonishing to see the kind of art that exists in India and goes on for generations without coming to the limelight. Without any expectation of fame or luxuries of life, these exceptional artists have carried the legacy of their ancestors, and humbly continued to produce some masterpieces, not because they had to, not even because they want to, but simply out of respect for their legacy and duty of keeping it alive.