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Ethnic & Folk Paintings Ethnic Arts, Crafts & Textiles of Jharkhand Ethnic Paintings of India Tribal Arts & Crafts

Paitkar tribal folk paintings of Jharkhand

Spread India's Glorious Cultural & Spiritual Heritage

ॐ श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः ॐ श्री शिवानन्दाय नमः ॐ श्री चिदानन्दाय नमः ॐ श्री दुर्गायै नमः 

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Paitkar Tribal Folk Paintings of Jharkhand at Rs 700/piece | Tribal Painting  | ID: 17364467012
Paitkar tribal folk paintings of Jharkhand

India is a diverse country, and such is its culture and heritage. One of India’s lesser known heritage includes the beautiful Paitkar Paintings from Jharkhand.

Paitkar Painting - Water Fetching (10x6 in) | Traditional paintings, Nature  inspiration, Tribal art
Jharkhand’s Paitkar tribal paintings

The village Amadubi situated in the Eastern part of Jharkhand is also called the village of Paitkar. ‘Paitkar’ is the traditional painting of this village, an art form which is present in the village from ancient times.

Paitkar paintings of Jharkhand – A short introduction

Popularly known as scroll paintings of Jharkhand, this form of painting is prominent in West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and other adjacent states of India.

ARTS of INDIA | Paitkar Painting by Tribal Artists | Sustainable Livelihood
Paitkar folk paintings of Jharkhand

Paitkar Paintings of Jharkhand :

Having a common subject of what happens to life after death, these paintings have been long used in for storytelling and in socio-religious customs.

They recount the story of the deeds of gods and goddesses, such as Shiva or Durga from Hindu mythology; or the local deities, such as the snake goddess Manasa.

A documentary on Paitkar painting

In Santhal tribe of Jharkhand, Paitkar painting is considered to have the capacity to send the wandering souls of the dead to heaven, and thus, help to free them from all pain.

ARTS of INDIA | Paitkar Painting by Tribal Artists | Sustainable Livelihood
Paitkar paintings – A folk art of Jharkhand

Paitkar paintings may be considered as the variable of Pata painting. The Paitkar artists make the palm leaves as the base of the art and the brushes are made from the hair of squirrel and goat.

Sold Price: TWO RARE INDIAN PAITKAR TRIBAL PAINTINGS BY VIJAY CHITRAKAR,  the tribe is located deep inside the hilly forest - March 3, 0120 10:30 AM  GMT
Paitkar paintings of Jharkhand – A tribal art

Today, in Amadubi, there are 40-45 houses among which a few are practicing  Paitkar although most of the villagers know about the art. There have been observed only 3 to 4 artists who still practice this scroll painting.

Learning to draw Paitkar paintings

Most of the Amadubi villagers gave up the tradition of Paitkar because it was not economically viable, however, with the right kind of intervention from the government, this age-old heritage of India can be preserved.

INDIAN ORIGINAL TRIBAL PAITKAR PAINTING: - Sep 30, 2018 | White's Auctions  in MA
Creativity of the tribes of Jharkhand – Paitkar painting

Paitkar Paintings: The Scroll Paintings of the East :

History

The village Amadubi situated in the Eastern part of Jharkhand is also called the village of Paitkar. ‘Paitkar’ is the traditional painting of this village, an art form which is present in the village from ancient times.

The Paitkar paintings are also popularly known as the scroll paintings of Jharkhand. This painting form is popular in West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and other adjacent states of India.

Paitkar Painting - Men with Instruments (30x22 in) | Traditional paintings,  Painting, Tribal art
Paitkar tribal folk paintings of Jharkhand – A modern living room decor

The tribal artists in Jharkhand have fostered this art of scroll painting that has long been used in storytelling performances and in socio-religious customs. The paintings that belong to this form have a common subject of what happens to human life after death.

This scroll painting also mirrors the Bengali and Jharkhandi daily life. The historical lineage of the Paitkar painting can be traced to the culture associated with the state of West Bengal, but now the art is practiced only in Amadubi village.

ARTS of INDIA | Paitkar Painting by Tribal Artists | Sustainable Livelihood
Paitkar painting to decorate the walls of your living room

Paitkar painting may be considered as the variable of Pata painting.  Pata  painting or Pata chitra was term used for long scroll painting. This scroll painting has a vertical format. 

Pata painting is one of the earliest folk paintings of India. The Paitkar artists make the palm leaves as the base of the art and the brushes are made from the hair of squirrel and goat.

In Santhal tribe of Jharkhand, Jadu Patua or Paitkar painting is considered to have the capacity to send the wandering souls of the dead to heaven, and thus, help to free them of all pain.

Format

The text of visual art comprises the medium, form and the content. The medium is the material of the art pieces or how it is made up of.

Content reflects the portrayal — what the artist actually did portray and how the spectators react to both the intended and actual messages. Moreover the form means the elements of art and the principles of design that the artists use.

ARTS of INDIA | Paitkar Painting by Tribal Artists | Sustainable Livelihood
Paitkar tribal folk paintings to beautify the walls of your living room

The medium through which the Paitkar artists use to paint their scrolls is water-based colours derived from nature. The colour palette of Chitrakar’s (artists) consists of fewer colours. They collect only primary colours—Red, Yellow and Blue, from the nature.

ARTS of INDIA | Paitkar Painting by Tribal Artists | Sustainable Livelihood
Paitkar tribal folk paintings – A gift of Jharkhand

Human characters occupy most part of the painted space. These characters are present in profile and sometimes in semi profile. The eyes are elongated which reflects the characteristic of Indian painting style.

The painted face came much later only in the mid-20th century. Spontaneous lines drawn by Paitka have an angularity, and anatomical details are not very defined.

ARTS of INDIA | Paitkar Painting by Tribal Artists | Sustainable Livelihood
Paitkar tribal folk paintings of Jharkhand

Significance

Paitkar painting are mostly associated with Hindu epics. The stories are from of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Manasa song (Manasa pada), Kali song (Kali Pada).

Ramayana story focuses on the character drawings of Rama, Sita and Mandudari.

These paintings mostly recount the story about the deeds of gods and goddesses, such as Shiva or Durga from Hindu mythology; or the local deities, such as the snake goddess Manasa.

Paitkar Painting Export from India,Paitkar Painting Exporter in Delhi
Paitkar tribal folk paintings of Jharkhand

Today

In Amadubi, there are 40-45 houses among which a few are practicing  Paitkar although most of the villagers know about the art. There have been observed only 3 to 4 artists who still practice this scroll painting.

Most of the Amadubi villagers gave up the tradition of Paitkar because it was not economically viable. They have pursued a range of occupations such as carpentry, murti-making, tailoring, agricultural labour, repairing work etc.

However, with the right kind of intervention from the Government, this age-old heritage of India can be preserved. The need of the hour is to bring the Paitkar art in the mainstream from the remote villages and to devise means so as to people of the nation have means to access these paintings.


Spread India's Glorious Cultural & Spiritual Heritage

By Mala Chandrashekhar

Introducing Blogger Mala Chandrashekhar - a specialist academically trained in modern Western sciences, yet deeply enamored with India's timeless ethnic arts, crafts, and textiles. Her heart beats for the rich and glorious cultural and spiritual heritage of India, and she has dedicated her entire blog to spreading the immortal glories of ancient India worldwide. Through her simple yet impactful blog posts, Mala aims to reach every nook and corner of the globe, sharing India's beauty and wisdom with the world.

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