by Sayoni Mitra
Raghurajpur, a heritage crafts village, 12kms from Puri on the Bhubaneswar road, near Chandanpur on N.H.203. It is a must-see spot for tourists heading to Odisha. I recommend that it ought to be an undividable part of their journey if they truly want to participate in the rich cultural heritage that this village has to put forward.The entire atmosphere gets colourful as soon as I enter the Heritage Crafts Village of Raghurajpur in Odisha. Rose pink, bright blue, deep ochre, violet and saturated orange; etchings and paintings of gods and goddesses; green parrots flying on a wall; home of the Odissi dance; lush greenery welcome to Raghurajpur in Puri district, home to over 300 artisans who practice various traditional art forms handed down over generations. I feel like I am walking in a virtual art gallery. Every wall of every house is a museum and every person living here is an artist. While several pilgrims and tourists visit the Puri Jagannath temple, it is so calm and the silence echoes in the air. Identical row houses are stacked next to each other but I was more fascinated by the walls that come breathing with murals.
There is a lot of tribal art merged with paintings of deities and demons. The folk motif runs as a constant thread in all the walls. But the inspiration comes from the triad deities of Puri – Lord Jagannath and Balabadra and Subhadra. They are painted in different sizes and colours and they motivate every art and craft that is from Raghurajpur crafts village, particularly the patachitra.
What's so special, you ask? Well, for starters, it's one of the few heritage crafts village recognized by the government of India, where all its citizens are artisans.Yes, every member of this 110-odd ancestral settlement is an expert in Patachitra -the traditional, cloth-based scroll painting that Puri is so famous for. Reaching this village was not difficult at all. The GPS showed us the way and we took NH 203, and also the numerous signboards on the way and exceptionally friendly locals pointed us towards our destination. The roads become narrow once you near the village, but people make way for your car to pass through. You will have this feeling of entering a completely new world, far away from city lights and the complexities. I got out of the car and was instantly surrounded by enthusiastic locals, mostly men, who told me, 'Aap bas Hamara kaam dekh leejiye. Khareedna zaroori nahi hai.' They are artists and want their works to be respected. Money is most likely the last thing on their mind. I wander through the small lanes, I am amazed that every house is filled with scrolls of Patachitra that are at least 100 years old. Women sit in the pyol, or what's now being fashionably referred to as the porch, and proudly display their work of art miniature paintings of Lord Jagannath and other Godstone on cloth. "They go back to their house once it's 5.30 pm. They have to take care of the home and also train the younger ones in the art," people tell me. I see young kids as small as 3 years old sitting with paintbrushes, trying to copytheir parents’ works.
Artist families live in each of the 100 or so painted, yet modest, houses that face one another. A series of temples dedicated to local deities occupy the lane between the homes. Here, in Raghurajpur, worship and art are one — each breathes life and gives meaning to the other. The chitrakars (painters) are the most famous and numerous among Raghurajpur artists. They paint brightly coloured mythological stories about Lord Jagannath and other deities, especially Krishna. Derived from the Sanskrit word Patta (canvas) and Chitra (painting), patachitra originated in the 12th century. Speaking to the artists in Raghurajpur crafts village I learn that the deities in Puri Jagannath temple go on a sabbatical every year for fifteen days. Apparently the statues are then replaced with a patachitra that portrays the three deities. Every home is converted into a colourful studio. Paintings of Krishna in different forms – with Gopikas, lifting the Govardhanagiri, with his consort Radha fill the rooms.
I get a short introduction to the making of a patachitra. A strip of cotton cloth becomes a canvas as it is soaked in water which is filled with tamarind seeds. The artist then adds a coat of chalk and gum and then pastes the same with another layer of cotton cloth. He then rubs the canvas with stones so that it has a glossy finish and has a smooth surface.
Some artists still use original mineral colours and vegetable dyes. But the highlight is the fine brush which is actually made of “mouse’s hair.” No pencil or charcoal is used. Eventually, a lacquer coating is added to the painting to give it a finishing touch.The people were kind enough to offer me their special brushes too, and I tried to draw a few lines on a canvas with them. It was a great trial.
In the centre of the village, a huge building is under construction. Kalu Charan Bariki, a youngster from the crafts village, told me, "In the early 2000s, this village was adopted by the government to be developed as a heritage village. We've been allotted few crores and officials are building auditoriums and rest homes so that people can stay here and also learn about the process of Patachitra. We are planning workshops to teach tourists the basics and also spread the importance of this art."
Apart from Patachitra, you will also find wall hangings made from green coconut and palm. And little keyrings made of Betelnut, and bookmarks made from Palm leaves. They also recycle a lot of things such as glass bottles, jute and paper, and create beautiful things out of them. The Prices of these decorative items are quite affordable and I brought a bag full of them for myself. The paintings, however, cost a fortune but they are worth every penny. I closely watched an artisan working on a painting and it takes so much effort to create such finite details. A standard sized painting takes about 6 months to make.
Raghurajpur is also the venue of the annual Basant Utsav Parampara held in the month of February and March. Also known for GOTIPUA dance troupes, it is the birthplace of one of the first Odissi exponent Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. So once you are in Puri, you must visit this amazing art village. The tourists are the major source of income for these humble artists.
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