Offbeat Odisha : Raghurajpur, the heritage village

By Divyakshi Gupta

Odisha is a melting pot of art, craft and culture and the heritage village of Raghurajpur is just the tip of the iceberg.

I met Mr. Ajit Swain, who runs the NGO Dedicated to People, gave me a sneak peek into the art form of Patta(Canvas) chitra(painting): An art form to depict themes of Indian Epics.

Traditionally, the canvas is made from layers of cloth, assembled with natural adhesives like dried tamarind seeds and stone powder. Coconut shells are used as palettes.

I met the award winning artist, Mr. Gangadhar Maharana who is revolutionising traditional art with modern designs on products like coasters and trays.

In Raghurajpur, every house is a living museum. Artists paint and sell their art in the verandahs outside their homes which often have colourful paintings on their walls.

Intricately painted paper mache products are also very popular.

At Banwari Mahapatra’s home, I was introduced to the ancient Odiya card game Ganjapa.

Not very far away, is Abhinna Sundar Gotipua Nrutya Parishad, a Gurukul that teaches young boys a dance form called Gotipua.

Young boys dress up as girls to perform this dance depicting scenes from Lord Krishna’s life.

Another art form is Taalpattachitra where long metallic needles are used to engrave intricate designs on palm leaves.

On the periphery of Raghurajpur, one can find several other art forms, like sari painting on local textiles.

There is also coir work done in several houses like in Ranjana’s house, 10 kms away from Raghurajpur.

Here, art is not just an income, but a means of devotion to Lord Jagannath.