1. Pattachitra, an ancient folk art of India dates its roots to the eastern state Odisha. And we know the oldest buildings has the craziest secrets or facts. So how can an artistic heritage be deprived of amazing facts. So here we are looking at some of them that shows that the ‘Pattachitras’ are not only rich in colours but also in stories and facts ….
2. The origin of the Pattachitra can be dated back to 5th century BC. Earlier it was not limited to just painting on cloths but even on other articles like on palm leaves (Pothi Chitra) and walls( Bhitti Chitra) .
3. Pattachitras have a deep connection to the religious culture of Odisha. It was earlier given as souvenirs to Jagannath pilgrims. It in majority of cases also highlights the ‘Jagannath Culture’ or ‘Krishna stories’ or other ‘Hindu Religious Stories’.
4. The Pattachitras are completely organic. The sheets are in general either cotton or silk. The brush is made up of the hairs of the tails of the domesticated animals. The colours are even extracted from flowers and stones of that colour.
5. These art pieces are provided with a lacquer finish. The coating gives the painting a shiny look and also make it last for centuries.
6. The ‘Tala Pattachitra’ is one of the ancient styles of this art where the Palm leaves are dried and after being hard the arts are drawn in black colour and stitched in a fan like structure so that each sheet comes after the other.
7. It is well known that the Pattachitras have a theme related to the Jagannath culture. What many of us don’t know is that there is a typical type of Pattachitra known as Yatripatas which incleds the sketches of the Jagannath Temple of Puri itself.
8. The artists who draw these Pattachitras are called ‘Chitrakaras’ or the traditional artists of Odisha. Their work is being passed on generation after generation.The role and names of these ‘Chitrakaras are also found in ‘Bramhavaivrata Purana’ where they have been related to ‘Viswakarma’ the ‘Architect God.’
9. The paintings, being hereditarily passed on, are still being made in the areas around Puri, like Raghurajpur, Itamati, Daspalla,etc. and even in villages of Ganjam and Chmpamal in Odisha.
10. Pattachitras are the only variety of painting that comes under both art and craft. The colours and unique art style makes it a perfect example of traditional folk art. Along with this the fact that it is a handicraft and made solely within a family the family members being the chief artists make it a great craft piece.