PATACHITRA - A CULTURAL HERITAGE OF WEST BENGAL AND  ODISHA

Sanghati Majumdar; Jatisankar Bandyopadhyay

doi:10.48165/pimrj.2025.2.1.1

Authors

Sanghati Majumdar Research Scholar, Centre for Women Studies, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore-721102, West Bengal, India
Jatisankar Bandyopadhyay Centre for Environmental Studies, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore-721102, West Bengal, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48165/pimrj.2025.2.1.1

Keywords:

Folk-art, Patachitra, Cultural Heritage, Tangible, Intangible attributes

Abstract

song, folk dance and distinguishable painting style. Both West Bengal and Odisha are situated in Eastern India. Among these two states, modes and forms of cultural aspects are very much interrelated, and even similar in some cases. Most famous and common cultural aspect among these two states is Patachitra. Patachitra is a unique art-form, which is based on mythological folktales and started from immemorial time. Not only in West Bengal and Odisha, but it is prevalent also in the other parts of India, as well as outside of the country. To identify the similarities and dissimilarities between Bengal pata and Odisha pata, and also the differences of the lifestyle of patuas or chitrakar, two famous Patua villages have been selected as the study area, which are Naya from West Bengal and Raghurajpur from Odisha. Culture is a combination of art, music, literature, behaviour, belief, rituals etc of a specific area. Cultural heritage refers to the tangible and intangible attributes of a group of people belonging to a specific place, followed by generation to generation. To recognize how the components and forms of patachitra differ with the different physical and social attributes, a household survey was conducted in both the areas of interest. Some indicators have been selected to identify the similarities and dissimilarities between these two areas on different aspects of Patachitra. It can be concluded that, though after evaluation the locational, physical, social , cultural differences are there, but the essence of Patachitra has created a cultural bonding between these two areas.

Author Biography

Sanghati Majumdar, Research Scholar, Centre for Women Studies, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore-721102, West Bengal, India

Assistant Teacher, Belgharia Jatindas Vidyamandir for Girls (H.S), Kol-700056, West Bengal, India

References

Acharya, J. (2003). Women’s Well-being and Gendered Practices of Labor and Workspace in Traditional Craft Productions in Orissa, India. Gender Technology and Development, Sage Publications.

Acharya, J. and Lund, R. (2002). Gendered spaces: Socio-spatial relations of self employed women in Craft production, Orissa, India. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift-Norwegian Journal of Ge ography 56(3), 207-218.

Ali, M.A. 2014. ‘Re-thinking the Folk songs and Folk oral narra tives of the Patuas of Bengal in terms of their Marginal stand ing’ Vidyasagar University Journal of the Department of En glish, Vol. 11, 2013- 2014, 139-149.

Anand, M.R. (2005). Chitralakshana- Story of Indian Paintings. New Delhi: National Book Trust.

Ansari, S. N. (2014). Socio-economic Aspect of Artisans in India in 20th Century. International Journal of Humanities and Re ligion (IJHR).

Archer. W.G. (1971). Kalighat Paintings. Victoria & Albert Muse um, London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.

Bajpai, S.R. (1960). Methods of Social Survey and Research. Kan pur: Kitab Ghar Publication.

Bandyapadhyay,R. (1999). Patuar Kotha. Pratikkhan.

Baral, B. & William, A. (2007). Design resources on Patachitra painting Orissa. NID R&D campus, Bangalore.

Basu, R.I. (2000). Chitrakara Women Of Patuapara: A Report. Women and SocioNatural Environment. Calcutta: School of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University.

Bhattacharjee,B. (1980). Cultural Oscillation (A study on Patua Culture).NayaProkash,Calcutta.

Bhattacharya,M. (2004).The women Patuas of Medinipur and their changing World” in Patua Art and Women Patuas of Medi nipur. School of Women’s Studies :Jadavpur University Press.

Chakraborty, S. (1973). Pata Prespectives. Folklore. Volume-IV, No-1, January. Calcutta: Indian Publication.

Chandra,S. Women folk Painters empowered : a resolution in a ru ral setting.

Chatterjee,S.Crossing the Threshold : Women Patuas of Bengal in Transition.Burdwan University.

Chatterji, R. 2009. ‘Global Events and Local Narratives: 9/11 and the Picture Storytellers of Bengal’. Indian Folklore Research Journal no.9: 1-26.

Coomaraswamy, Ananda K (1929). Picture Showmen. Indian His torical Quarterly 5

Dandekar, R.N. (1962). Indian Mythology. The Cultural Heritage of India. VolumeII. The Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Cul ture, Gol Park, Calcutta.

Das, Monalisa. (2023). “A detail study on pattachitra painting: the heritage artwork of Raghurajpur, odisha”. International Jour nal of Development Research, 13, (10), 64015-64018

Das, N. (2013). Patachitra of Orissa: A Case Study of Raghurajpur Village. An Online Journal of Humanities &Social Science. Volume-I, Issue-IV, April.

Datta Gupta, S.(2011). “Village of Painters” : a Visit to Naya, Pingla. Chitrolekha International Magazine on Art and Design, Vol. 1, No. 3.

Dey,S. (2017).Patua Sangeeter Punarbichar. Akshar Publisher, Kol kata.

Elwin, V. (1961). Folk Paintings of India. New Delhi: International Cultural Centre.

Ghosh, D.P. (1941). Orissan Paintings. Journal of the Indian Soci ety Oriental Art, Volume-IX. Calcutta.

Jain, Jyotindra 1998. Picture showmen: Insights into the Narrative Tradition in Indian

Art. Marg. Mumbai

Maiti, Dr. Chittaranjan. (2001) .Prasanga : Pat, Patua O Patua Sangit. Sahityalok, Kolkata.

Maitra Bajpai, Dr. Lopamudra. (2013). Intangible Heritage Trans formations – Patachitra of Bengal exploring Modern New Media.International Journal of History and Cultural Studies (IJHCS), Volume 1, Issue 1, PP 1-13

Mandal,K. (2015-2016). The Patuas of Medinipur and the Govern ment in a Globalized Context.Journal of History, Volume IV, 2015-2016, Vidyasagar University.

6

Manna, Subrata K. (2012).Banglar Patachitra, Patua Sangeet, Pat uasamaj o Loksanskriti Bijnan. Pharma K.L.M. Pvt. Ltd., Kol kata.

McCutchion, David J. and Bhowmik ,Suhrid K (1999). Patuas and Patua Art in Bengal.Calcutta .

Mohanty, B. (1984). Pata-Paintings of Orissa. New Delhi: Publica tions Division, Government of India.

Mohapatra, B. (2008). The Heritage Village: Raghurajpur. Cultur al Heritage of Orissa. Puri District. Volume- II. Orissa: Byasa Kabi Fakirmohan Smriti Samsad.

Mookherjee, A.K. (1941). Kalighat Folk Painters. London: Hori zon, Volume-V.

Palit, S. and Datta, D.B. 2016. Transformation from Performative Art to Demonstrative Art: A Survival strategy for Patachitra’, Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, vol.4(2): 218-222.

Pathy, S. (2005). Heritage Handicrafts. in A. N. Tiwari (ed.), Refer ence Orissa: Century Edition, BBSR: Enterprising Publication. Ray, B.C. ed. (2000). Cultural Heritage of Orissa. (Vol-I/, Part-ll & III, Cuttack: Mamata Prints.

Samantaray, J. (2011). Patta Painting: A Bird’s Eye View of Orissan Art. Orissa Review. November.

Samantaray, P. K. (2005). Patta Chitra - It’s Past and Present. Orissa Review. December.

Sarkar, S.K. 2017. ‘Storytelling Art: A Reconsideration of Patuas Performance’. TAJ: Journal of English Language, Literature and Culture (The Achievers Journal), vol.3 no.3, 35-49.

Sengupta, S (ed). (1973). The Patas and Patuas of Bengal. Sivaramamurti, C. (1987). The Painter in Ancient India. New Del hi: Abhinav Publications.

E-Sources

http://www.daricha.org

http://www.banglanatak.com

http://www.midnapore.in/festival/potmaya/pot-ma ya-naya-pingla.html

http://www.craftandartisans.com/pata-chitra-scroll painting-of-west-bengal.html

http://www.indigoarts.com/gallery_asianart_in diptg2a.html

http://www.gettyimages.in/detail/photo/patachi tra-or-traditional-cloth-painting-of-bengal-royal ty-free-image/486701665

http://sb.bsf.gov.in/index_files/ctb_files/ School%20of%20Art.pdf

http://www.tarabooks.com/2009/09/08/tsunami/

http://www.mssewb.org/pdf/district_lev el-fair-2013-14_1.pdf