Page 24 - My FlipBook
P. 24
About the illustrations
Patachitra is the traditional painting of Odisha, India . The artist is called a patachitrakar.
A pat is used as an offering in a temple. It is traditionally painted with stone colours,
shell powder and organic lac on paper or cloth stiffened with tarmarind seed and chalk
powder. Nowadays, paintings are also done on silk and palm leaf. The pictures usually
depict the religious epics but the flora and fauna of Odisha decorate the space around
the figures of gods, goddesses, kings and queens.
Dastkari Haat Samiti is a large organization of Indian craftspeople, working to improve
the social and economic status of people engaged in traditional handicraft skills. Local
forms of painting and craftwork have been used to illustrate this series of four stories to
encourage the sharing of varied cultural expressions. This work was made possible with
the support of UNESCO, New Delhi.
24
