By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
India is a culturally rich country. It is a country with various forms of music, art, tradition and culture. As an Indian, it is hard to be aware of all the traditions practiced in different parts of the country. In a developing country like India we are worried about our work, meeting deadlines, getting the job done etc. In such fast-paced life, it is important for us to respect and recognize some of the art and cultural traditions followed. As the year was ending, we wanted to take a small break from hectic schedule, our family decided to visit Puri and get blessings of lord Jagannatha. We had also planned to visit other cities of Orrisa. On this journey there was a visit to cultural village of Raghurajpur which is 10 kilometers away from Puri. This is a small village which is famous for paintings named “Patta Chitra”, in Sanskrit language “Patta” means a canvas and “Chitra” means painting. When visited the village, we were greeted by families showcasing their paintings. These paintings were done either on a cloth or on palm leaves. The villagers showed us variety of paintings in different sizes and shapes. While speaking to the artisans we came to know that these paintings were done in the family from generations. They are still using the same techniques for the paintings which were used earlier. Some of the paintings which were shown to us required more than six months to complete. They usually choose mythological sequences or situations to depict in their paintings. Paintings on dashavataras (ten incarnations of lord Vishnu) is the highlight of these paintings. These paintings which told the whole story/sequence were sized between four to six feet, sometimes much more. Small sizes between half to one foot is also available. They use vibrant colors to paint like yellow, green, black red, orange and most of these colors are naturally derived. After some talks on the painting we decided to buy few for our house. Thinking about this experience always kicks off my mood, I cannot get through the fact that we didn’t expect anything when we entered the village, few random thoughts were also there that the paintings might be highly priced or we might get forced to buy, may not get treated properly etc... On the contrary everyone greeted us warmly and spoke to us irrespective of whether we purchased the painting from them or not. The experience was one of its kind. We will never be able to forget some of the great pieces which were shown to us. One of the family was painting an entire Ramayana (famous Indian Mythology) on a cloth which was more than six feet tall. The characters were so intricately painted that it made us feel that they were true and they had seen them. Every journey teaches us some lessons and some of them gives us an unforgettable experience. This is one of those. Pictures, colours, people everything came right, making it one of the unforgettable trips. When we see these paintings at our home the conversations with the artisans flashes on to our minds and I guess the only thing which we would take back from travel is the experience. Rewarding journeys with no touristic pressure and treating the tourist as one among them is rare, condensing the journey to mere human touch and nothing beyond it. Looking back, I still think,” I didn’t expect to find such warmth and oneness in Raghurajpur”. If you truly cherish art then, this place offers you pure joy of art and painting. I would highly recommend people with passion towards art to visit and cherish the visual treat of “Patta Chitra” that this village offers.