Pattachitra

Patachitra or Pattachitra is a general term for traditional, cloth-based scroll painting, based in the eastern Indian states of Odisha, and West Bengal as well as parts of Bangladesh. Patachitra art form is known for its intricate details as well as mythological narratives and folktales inscribed in it. Pattachitra 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 an ancient Bengali narrative art, originally serving as a visual device during the performance of a song.

Patachitra or Pattachitra is a general term for traditional, cloth-based scroll painting, based in the eastern Indian states of Odisha, and West Bengal as well as parts of Bangladesh. Patachitra art form is known for its intricate details as well as mythological narratives and folktales inscribed in it. Pattachitra 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 an ancient Bengali narrative art, originally serving as a visual device during the performance of a song. ==Etymology== In Sanskrit, the word paṭṭa means "cloth" and chitra means "picture". Most of these paintings depict stories of Hindu deities. ==Early history== Charanachitras, Mankhas, Yamapatas were ancient forms of paintings executed on textile-scrolls and dealt with themes of a narrative-didactic nature of storytelling, which finds mentions in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts. According to historian N.R Ray, these textile-scroll paintings were ancestors of the Pattachitra art form. ==Odisha Patachitra== Pattachitra is a traditional painting of Odisha, India. Originating at puri. These paintings are based on Hinduism and specially inspired by Jagannath and Vaishnava traditions. All colours used in the Paintings are natural and paintings are made ancient traditional way by Chitrakaras that is Odiya Painter. Pattachitra style of painting is one of the oldest and most popular art forms of Odisha. The name Pattachitra has evolved from the Sanskrit words patta, meaning canvas, and chitra, meaning picture. Pattachitra is thus a painting done on canvas, and is manifested by rich colourful application, creative motifs, designs, and portrayal of simple themes, mostly mythological in depiction. The traditions of pattachitra paintings are more than thousand years old. File:Papier-mâché mask at Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India 01.jpg|Papier-mâché mask of Goddess Kali painted in the Pattachitra idiom, Kala Bhoomi Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar. File:Exhibits at the Odisha Crafts Museum 17.jpg|Wooden Ramalila masks painted in the Pattachitra style, Kala Bhoomi Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar. File:Konark palm leaf manuscript.jpg|Tala Pattachitra, palm leaf painting showing the architectural plan of the Sun Temple of Konark, Odisha. File:Wooden toys of women at Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.jpg|Wooden statuettes painted in the Pattachitra style, Kala Bhoomi Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar. File:Wooden torana at Odisha Crafts Museum, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India 04.jpg|Prabha of Devi Subhadra's Ratha, Puri, Odisha. File:Narasimha Mural Puri.jpg|Modern wall mural of Narasimha in a street of Puri, Odisha. Patachitra of Naya village in West Bengal is now collected in National Museum of Ethnology (henceforth MNE) in Lisbon. File:Extrait de Chandi Mangal de Meena Chitrakar (Naya Bengale) (1439706046).jpg|Patachitra of Naya village File:Extrait de Ramayana de Hazra Chitrakar (Naya Bengale) (1438842569).jpg|Patachitra of Naya village File:Medinipur Patachitra - durga.jpg|Goddess Durga and her family in Medinipur Patachitra File:Kalighat Patachitra of Maharaja Virendra Mohan Dar.jpg|Maharaja Virendra Mohan Dar of Dar, Akhnoor (Kalighat Pattachitrra). ===Origin=== scroll on display at Archaeological activities exhibition of Bengal Patachitra]] Patachitra is known for its excellent play of colour. It is a traditional folk art form of rural Bengal. There are some controversial opinions about the dates of ancient Patas. But it has been suggested based on historical themes connected with the accompanied songs like Patua Sangeet. It dates back to the Pre- Pala period which is still tucked away with small villages of Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia, Howrah, Hooghly and 24 Parganas. There are some Jadu-Patuas painting of mural style in the temples of Bankura District in West Bengal. ===Theme and style=== during an international conference in Kolkata|278x278px]] There are many types of Pots like religious, secular. Religious pots encompass the story of Hindu epics like, mythology, Ramayana, Mahabharata narrating stories of Hindu gods and goddesses like Radha Krishna, Chaitanya, Kali, Shiba and the indigenous Bengali folklore of Manasha and Chandi, Behula and Lakshinder being the most popular. Secular pots depicts important news events, scandals accidents etc. such as bus accidents at Narayangarh, rural elections, the rationing system, family planning, evils of the dowry system etc. Every Patachitra has a song related to it, which the artists sing while unfurling the Patachitra. Singing pot in Bengal is called Patua Sangeet. Patua Sangeet or Poter Gan is a cultural tradition of the singing Bengal Patachitra. It is performed by Patua. It is famous in the village part of West Bengal like Birbhum, Jhargram, Bardhaman and Murshidabad as a folk song of West Bengal. ===Aspects of painting=== Bengal Patachitra painting has a different type of motive and aspects that unrolled the Bengali culture. Using the mythological epic and the natural color it is one of the individual characteristics of the Bengal Patachitra. ====Chalchitra==== , a part of Bengal Patachitra, referred to the background Patachitra of the Durga Pratima]] Chalchitra is a part of Bengal Patachitra, It referred to the Debi Chal or Durga chala, the background of the Durga Pratima or idol. Patua, the artists of Chalchitra called it as Pata Lekha, means the writing of Patachitra. 300–400 years old idols of Nabadwip Shakta Rash used Chalchitra as a part of Pratima. At a time, the use of Chalchitra became fade, but now it has a great popularity. ====Durga sara==== Durga sara is a variant of the patachitra. Instead of a cloth, the backside of a clay tray or dish called sara (সরা) in Bengali is used as the canvas, where an image of the Hindu goddess Durga is painted. Poor Bengali Hindu families in regions of West Bengal like Nadiya & 24 Parganas use it as an alternative of idols for worship. ===Technique=== The Patachitra of different districts of West Bengal are characterized by many peculiarities in colour and design. The patachitra of Manbhum, now known as Purulia can easily be distinguished by their preference for one particular shade of burnt sienna relieved by white and yellow patches and densely packed composition. The seated figures of Dasaratha and Chand Sadagar of Medinipur crowning the Ramayana and Kamale-Kamini scrolls are impressive and monumental. In the scrolls of pot of Birbhum, Bankura and Burdwan preference for Indian red background usually found, the scrolls of Hooghly preferred a dark brown. The Hooghly and Manbhum 'pats' are peculiar and definitely modernistic with the abstract linear treatment. ===Colour=== Use of natural color is one of the individual characteristics of the Bengal Patachitra. In general, blue, yellow, green, red, brown, black and white are used in the Patachitra of West Bengal. Chalk dust is used for white color, pauri for yellow color, cultivated indigo for blue, bhushakali for black and mete sindur for red color.

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