Pattachitra Painting

       It is one of the beautiful Indian art. A spectacular folk art from odisha. Patta means cloth, and Chitra means picture. Pattachitra is a picture painted on a piece of cloth. This form of art is closely related with Temple of Puri. Traditionally painters are known as chitrakars. Most of the chitrakar community hails from a village in Puri, Odisha called Raghurajpur.They will do the traditional process of preparing the canvas.Fine cotton cloth coated with white stone powder and gum made out of tamarind seeds. This mixture gives the cloths surface a leathery finish then paint with Colors. Colors are made from natural materials like vegetables,,earth and stone colors. For instance ,to get the white color , powdered conch shells are used.The painters do not use pencil for outline. They are so expert in the line that they some drew with the brush .The final painting is given a special coating to protect it from weather,thus making it glossy . The back of the painting is exposed to heat over a fireplace . It gives a long life for painting.

 

       Themes of this religious art are the temple of jaganath , Krishna Leela,Vaishnav and panchamukhi.Painters have painted on palm leaves ,silk material  and created the wall hanging and show pieces.Palm leaf pattachitra is called Tala pattachitra.All the dried palm leaves are sewn together to form like a canvas they will paint the picture after that.

I have tried my first pattachitra painting - Panchamukha Ganesha. It was an amazing experience.