Raghurajpur Legacy- Visit This Heritage Crafts Village to Know About the Traditional Pattachitra

Puri, more popularly known as Jagannath Puri finds its identity as a holy destination. No doubt that Lord Jagannath is the central attraction of the town, but Puri is more than a temple city. The culture, the traditional art forms, and the craftsmanship that is not just unique but also world-class are also the pillars that support the existence and identity of the land. Though somewhere or the other, religion has taken an upper hand in marking Puri over the world-map, but sidelining these highly intricate, marvellous and mesmerising art-forms would be an unjustified act towards those who put in their soul and pour out their emotions in creating tradition and carrying their legacy with full dedication and responsibility. They are the artisans from Raghurajpur- a place situated among the serenity of mango, coconut, and palm groves, nurturing the craftsmen who make Indian and Odisha proud for its tradition.

When you are there in Puri, make sure you visit the real talent hub- Raghurajpur.

Location and Speciality

Raghurajpur is a village located in the district of Puri (just 14kms of easy drive) and is known as first heritage crafts village of Odisha. The Pattachitra – an art form dating back to 5 BC is what makes this village special.

Wall arts, patta paintings, palm-leaf paintings, tusser and silk paintings, paintings on coconut shells, and stone carvings are the types of art-forms that are created by the expert artisans of this village. You can buy these paintings to give altogether different, traditional yet modern interiors to your home. The art form has been a legacy, carried by generations and passed on as hereditary treasure.

Welcome To Raghurajpur

This board welcomes you in the village and as it reads the board in itself describes the village atmosphere a lot. As soon as you enter the village you would feel being transcended to some art studio, with every home displaying the talent on their walls and you are surrounded by talent all around you.

The village has 120 houses decorated with mural paintings. The artisans also hold the distinction of being the only place for traditional decoration of Patas used in thrones of Lord Jagannath and on the chariots during Rath Yatra.

The Pattachitra

Patta means cloth and chitra means picture- the art form thus derives its name from the material used to do the paintings that is the cloth.  The cloth or canvas is prepared through a special technique using chalk and gum made from tamarind seeds. The colours used are all natural and are made from vegetables, minerals and at times from sea-shells as well. The art-form includes intricate images like motifs, mythological characters, designs that tell the tales or sagas of ancient India.

What is more surprising and amusing is that the art form has survived and thrived from 5BC and the Chitrakars (painters) still continue to do Pattachitra in its original form using the traditional methods.

Vaishnav and Jagannath paintings are basically the two most widely painted themes, followed by Bhagwat and Ramayana Paintings. Even specific colours are used to depict certain characters from different yugs or ages.

The Tala Pattachitra is another form where palm-leaf is used as canvas.

Let’s take a look at the various art forms practised in the village-

Palm Leaf Painting- Tala Pattachita

Painting on Coconuts

Pattachitra – Most of these paintings are influenced by Jagannath or Vaishnav Culture

Wall Painting-In Raghurajpur, each house has been painted with special wall paintings

Subscribe and stay updated with all the interesting information about Puri and its surrounding areas- Hotel Holiday Resort Blog