Introduction
Odisha possesses one of India’s most distinctive traditions of sacred painting—the Chitrakara tradition, closely associated with the temple culture of Lord Jagannath at Puri.
For generations, hereditary artists have preserved an extraordinary visual language in which mythology, devotion, ritual and craftsmanship come together. Their paintings are instantly recognizable for their strong lines, richly decorated borders, stylised figures and vibrant colours.
Although the Chitrakaras are best known today for Pattachitra, their artistic tradition extends beyond paintings on cloth. Palm-leaf illustrations, painted wooden objects, masks, Tussar silk paintings and other forms of traditional art are also part of this remarkable heritage.
At the heart of the tradition lies something deeper than decoration: painting as an expression of devotion and as a visual language of the Jagannath tradition.
1. Who Are the Chitrakaras?
The word Chitrakara literally refers to a maker of pictures or painter. In Odisha, the term has traditionally been associated with hereditary communities of artists who practised painting and related crafts.
The knowledge of the Chitrakara was traditionally transmitted within the family. A young artist would learn by observing elders, helping with the preparation of materials and gradually mastering drawing, colouring, ornamentation and the representation of sacred figures.
This was not simply a profession learned from a manual.
It was a living family tradition.
The apprentice had to understand not only how to paint but also how particular deities, mythological characters, animals, flowers, trees and architectural forms were to be represented.
The result is an artistic vocabulary that can be recognised immediately as distinctly Odishan.
2. The Sacred Connection with Lord Jagannath
The Chitrakara tradition cannot be separated from the religious and cultural world of Lord Jagannath of Puri.
Jagannath is worshipped along with Balabhadra and Subhadra, and the rituals of the Jagannath Temple have generated a rich visual culture over centuries.
Painting became an important part of this sacred world.
The Chitrakaras traditionally created images connected with the deities, their stories and the rituals of the temple. Their art therefore occupies an unusual space between painting, storytelling and religious practice.
A Chitrakara painting is not merely an illustration of a story.
It can carry a devotional purpose.
This is particularly evident in paintings associated with the annual rituals of the Jagannath temple.
3. Raghurajpur — The Village of Chitrakaras
If one wishes to experience the living Chitrakara tradition, Raghurajpur, near Puri, is one of the most important places to visit.
Raghurajpur is famous as a heritage crafts village, where many families continue traditional artistic practices.
Walking through the village can feel rather different from visiting an art gallery.
Paintings are created inside homes and small family workshops. Artists sit with their materials and work painstakingly on cloth, palm leaf, wood and other surfaces.
The walls and interiors of houses themselves may display colourful examples of the craft.
The village thus becomes a kind of open-air school of traditional art.
Generations of artists have helped preserve the distinctive visual identity of Odisha here.
4. From Cloth to Painting: Preparing the Patta
One of the fascinating aspects of Pattachitra is that the artist does not simply purchase a ready-made canvas and begin painting.
The traditional patta—the prepared cloth surface—requires considerable preparation.
Two pieces of cloth are traditionally joined and treated with a mixture that includes tamarind-seed gum and chalk. The surface is repeatedly treated and polished until it becomes smooth and suitable for painting.
This preparation gives the finished painting its characteristic firm and smooth surface.
Only after the patta has been properly prepared does the actual painting begin.
The process reminds us that traditional Indian painting is often as much about knowledge of materials as it is about artistic skill.
5. The Natural Colours of the Chitrakara
Traditional Chitrakara painting has its own distinctive colour vocabulary.
Historically, artists prepared colours from naturally available materials.
Colours associated with the tradition include:
- White
- Black
- Red
- Yellow
- Blue
- Green
White could be prepared from materials such as conch shell, while black could be obtained from soot or related carbon-based materials.
Mineral and plant sources were also traditionally used for different colours.
The colours are generally bold rather than subdued.
Red, yellow, black and white create a dramatic visual contrast, while green and blue add further richness.
The colours are not used randomly. They form part of the established aesthetic language of the tradition.
6. The Traditional Brush and Fine Line
Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of Chitrakara painting is the precision of the line.
The artist begins with carefully drawn outlines and gradually builds up the composition.
Fine decorative details may then be added to clothing, jewellery, hair, architectural elements, foliage and borders.
Traditional brushes are made from locally available materials, including animal hair and plant materials.
The fine brush allows the artist to create remarkably delicate lines.
A characteristic feature of Pattachitra is that there is little room for casual or unfinished drawing. The strong outline is an essential part of the visual identity.
The hand of the artist remains visible everywhere.
7. Stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas
The Chitrakara is also a storyteller.
The great Indian epics and Puranic traditions provide an enormous repertoire of subjects.
Scenes from the:
- Ramayana
- Mahabharata
- Bhagavata Purana
- Krishna legends
- Dasavatara tradition
- Various Puranic narratives
appear frequently in traditional paintings.
A single painting can contain numerous figures and episodes.
Rather than attempting photographic realism, the artist works within a highly stylised visual vocabulary.
Faces, eyes, jewellery, clothing, animals, trees and architectural forms are represented according to established conventions.
The painting therefore becomes a visual map of the story.
8. Jagannath, Krishna and the Vaishnava Imagination
The world of Jagannath is deeply intertwined with the wider Vaishnava imagination of Odisha.
Consequently, Krishna Leela occupies an important place in the repertoire of Chitrakara painters.
Stories of Krishna’s childhood, Radha and Krishna, the Gopis, Govardhana and other episodes provide artists with opportunities to combine narrative and ornamentation.
The paintings often have an almost jewel-like quality.
Figures are surrounded by elaborate decorative elements, while floral motifs and patterned borders frame the central narrative.
The result is simultaneously devotional, decorative and narrative.
9. Anasara Patti — Painting as a Substitute for Divine Darshan
One of the most extraordinary connections between the Chitrakaras and the Jagannath tradition is the Anasara Patti.
During the annual Snana Yatra, the deities are traditionally believed to fall ill after the ceremonial bath and remain away from public view during the subsequent Anasara period.
During this period, devotees cannot have the usual darshan of the deities.
A painted representation known as the Anasara Patti is traditionally associated with this period.
The painting thus acquires a significance far beyond that of an ordinary artwork.
It becomes a visual presence of the divine during a particular ritual period.
This is one of the clearest examples of how painting, ritual and devotion intersect in Odisha’s cultural tradition.
10. Beyond Pattachitra — Palm Leaf, Tussar, Masks and Other Forms
It would be a mistake to think of the Chitrakara tradition as being limited to Pattachitra.
The artistic skills of these painters have historically been expressed through several media.
Palm-leaf painting
Palm-leaf is particularly fascinating.
Artists can incise delicate drawings onto prepared palm leaves and sometimes introduce colour into the engraved designs.
Complex narrative panels can be created from multiple palm-leaf sections.
Tussar silk
Traditional imagery is also painted on Tussar silk, creating a beautiful combination of Odisha’s textile and painting traditions.
Painted wooden objects and masks
Traditional artists have also decorated wooden objects, toys and masks.
Thus, the Chitrakara tradition is better understood as a family of related artistic practices rather than a single type of painting.
11. How the Tradition Is Passed from One Generation to Another
The strength of a hereditary craft lies in the transmission of knowledge.
Traditionally, children growing up in Chitrakara families encountered the craft as part of everyday life.
They watched parents and grandparents prepare materials, draw figures and complete paintings.
They gradually learned:
- How to prepare the painting surface
- How to prepare colours
- How to hold and use the brush
- How to draw traditional figures
- How to construct a composition
- How to reproduce mythological scenes
- How to create decorative borders
- How to maintain the distinctive Chitrakara style
This kind of learning is very different from studying painting only in an art school.
It is learning through observation, repetition and participation.
A child grows up surrounded by the vocabulary of the tradition.
12. Raghurajpur as a Living Heritage Village
Raghurajpur’s greatest significance is that the tradition can still be encountered as a living craft culture.
The village is not simply a place where finished paintings are sold.
It is a place where traditional knowledge continues to be practised.
Visitors can see artists working, observe the painting process and encounter different generations of craftspeople.
This is particularly important in an age when many traditional crafts risk becoming disconnected from their original communities.
A living village such as Raghurajpur offers something that a museum cannot completely reproduce:
the experience of seeing heritage being created in the present.
13. The Chitrakara Tradition in the Modern World
The Chitrakara tradition has entered the modern marketplace while retaining many elements of its traditional identity.
Today, Pattachitra can be found on paintings, textiles, decorative objects and contemporary products.
Artists have also experimented with new formats and subjects to meet changing demand.
This presents both opportunities and challenges.
On the one hand, contemporary markets can provide traditional artists with new livelihoods and introduce the art to audiences far beyond Odisha.
On the other hand, there is always a question of how far an inherited artistic vocabulary can be adapted without losing its distinctive character.
The future of the Chitrakara tradition therefore depends not merely on preserving old paintings.
It depends on keeping the knowledge, skills, stories and communities behind the paintings alive.
A Tradition Where Art Becomes Devotion
The Chitrakara tradition of Odisha offers us a fascinating way of looking at Indian art.
Here, the painter is simultaneously an artist, storyteller and custodian of inherited knowledge.
A piece of cloth becomes a sacred picture.
Natural materials become brilliant colours.
A few strokes of a fine brush become the eyes of Krishna, the form of Jagannath or an entire episode from the Ramayana.
And an old family tradition becomes a living connection between generations.
Perhaps that is the greatest beauty of the Chitrakara tradition.
It is not merely an art of painting pictures. It is an art of preserving memory, mythology and devotion through the human hand.
From the sacred world of Puri to the homes and workshops of Raghurajpur, the Chitrakaras continue to demonstrate how India’s traditional arts can remain living traditions rather than relics of the past.