Raghurajpur, Heritage Village near Puri, Odisha

Raghurajpur

Heritage Village near Puri, Odisha

Every house in the village is a studio, which doubles up as a museum, and every villager is an artist, this is the Ragurajpur, the heritage village, located just 15km away from the popular tourist destination of Puri, in Odisha.

An artist in Raghurajpur displays a patachitra of triad deities of Puri – Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra, Raghurajpur, Odisha

Situated amid coconut groves the village of Raghurajpur has two streets lined with about 100 + identical houses, whose outer walls are covered with the most intricate frescoes and murals.

A patachitra from Raghurajpur

Although known for its patachitra, scroll painting, the artists of Raghurajpur have diverted into other art forms like the palm leaf engraving, bamboo mat painting, stone and wood curving and paper mache toys and mask.

Patachitra is an intricate colourfull drawing made on a pat, a specially processed cloth, which serves as a canvas.

The pat is made in a traditional way, that have been practiced for generations. The cloth is first soaked in tamarind seed water followed by the addition of chalk and gum.

Seven sheets of similar cloth are pasted together to create the pat. Last of all the pat is rubbed with special stones to give it a smooth surface and glossy finish.

Initially artist used only organic colours, generated out of minerals and vegetable dyes, but today many of the artists have shifted to synthetic paints available in the market, but the tradition of organic colours still continues in Raghurajpaur. After the painting is complete a lacquer coating is added to give the painting a glossy finish.

A patachitra from Raghurajpur

The triad deities of Puri – Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra has always been the prime inspiration behind the Raghurajpur Patachitra.

They are painted in every possible size and colour and are also frequent in other art forms like the bamboo mat painting and in stone & wood curving.

Interestingly the deities of the Puri Jaganath Temple goes for a 15 day sabbatical break every year, and during this period a patchitra takes the place of the original wooden idols.

The triad deities of Puri are closely followed by the Lord Krishna. From his birth to lilas with Radha and other gopikas are an integral topic of patachitra painting. Topics like Das Avatar and Das Mahavidya are alos common on patachitras.

The colorful background with a variety of flowers and flocks of flying birds provide an extra dimension to the age old art of Ragurajpur Patachitra. It captures the mood and the moment with minute details.

A bamboo mat painting, Raghurajpur

A bamboo mat painting, Raghurajpur

The art of Raghurajpur dates back to the 4th century AD and have been passed on from generation to generation.

Each family has a distinctive signature style, which they have maintained over centuries.

Apart from the introduction of occasional synthetic paints the art has remained same for over the centuries.

In 2000 Raghurajpur was declared a Heritage Village, after a two year long extensive study by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). It became Odisha’s first heritage village turning it into a major rural tourist destination of the state, drawing tourist, both domestic and foreign to the village.

An artist at work in Raghurajpur, near Puri, Odisha

The artists of Raghurajpur are extremely friendly and welcomes every visitor in their home to provide an elaborate display of their art work. The visitors can buy art work directly from the artist at a much cheaper rate compared to nearby tourist destinations like Puri and Bhubaneshwar.

 

An artists studio and shop in Raghurajpur, near Puri, Odisha

Apart from large traditional patachitras the artist prefer smaller versions, which can be framed and hung on the walls of small flats and are definitely tourist friendly and comes at a pocket friendly price.

Also the new artistic produce of Raghurajour like palm leaf engraving, bamboo mat painting, stone and wood curving and paper mache toys and mask comes at a pocket friendly price and visitors can head back home with back full of souvenirs.

Necessary Information:

Getting There: Raghurajpur is best visited on a day trip from Puri. Booking a vehicle is necessary and even autos can be booked.

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