Bengal Patachitra

Bengal Patachitra is a painting done on paper or fabric and is manifested by rich colourful application, creative motifs and designs, and portrayal of simple themes, mostly mythological. The Bengal Patachitra, when painted on cloth, follows a traditional process of preparation of the canvas. The paint used is made from vegetable, earth, and mineral sources. Patachitras are painted narrative scrolls executed by a class of itinerant singing scroll painters variously known as Patuas, Chitrakars, Patikars or Patidars. These paintings are characterised by religious, social motifs and images painted on cloth. There are two types of Pata – religious and secular. Religious pata encompass the story of Hindu epics like, the Puranas, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata narrating stories of Hindu gods and goddesses whereas secular pata depicts important news events and evils of the dowry system. Every Patachitra has a song related to it, which the artists sing while unfurling the Patachitra.