Art and crafts of a village in Odisha-Raghurajpur - By Gyan Mohapatra

Statue of Padma Shri Maguni Charan Das at the entry of the village

Odisha is one of the hidden treasures of India. It was earlier known as Utkala (the land of excellent artists and arts). It is located on the eastern coast (485km in length) of India, and has a vibrant culture of art that existed in ancient India blended with myriad ethnic tribes and natural landscapes.

Pattachitra art of Lord Ganesha’s life story

Art of Lord Jagannath, Suvadra and Balabhadra

Exemplifying such art is Raghurajpur, an UNESCO heritage village, which is home to the Pattachitra, is located around 53 kilometres from Bhubaneswar, capital of Odisha. Of the various artforms, Pattachitra is famous for its intricate artistic work on a palm leaf. It makes use of natural colours made from rocks and other biotic materials such as tamarind seeds and burnt coconut shells. The artform depicts various ancient narratives, folktales of India and the life of deities — Jagannath, Krishna,Vishnu, Ganesha, Durga, Saraswati . Recently, contemporary art works are also being adapted into this art form.

Pattachitra work on the life of Buddha

Craft work made using bio-degradable materials using natural colours

Skills of this art are passed from one generation to another. Every house in the village has artists who may be at different levels- beginner, proficient and expert. Visiting Raghurajpur and getting to know the villagers’ lifestyle enriches one’s experience. Sadly, due to lack of proper support from concerned authorities and crony capitalism, the art and the artists are left in the lurch. The villagers are involved with this art form for just the love of it.

Pattachitra and art works on Tussar Silk

Today, skills of the artists face the challenge of livelihood. A community of people who are acclaimed at state, national and international level for their skills are staring at its extinction.

Let us hope that the pandemic and the evolving scenario of climate change will attract the attention of the public, market and authorities towards this community of nature and art loving artists of Raghurajpur.

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