Pattachitra

Patta – Cloth, Chitra – Painting, literally sums up the meaning of “Pattachitra”. The phrase “It takes a village” – sums up what exactly is required to make a pattachitra – The men folks make the painting while the women are busy preparing the canvas, boiling gum and churning out colors from natural ingredients. Untouched through the ages, the Pattachitra has developed its own style and remained uninfluenced by the Mughal or Pahadi styles. It is inherent in its charisma and features remarkable borders and facial features as well as symbolism to denote expressions. Complex and beautiful, these Chitras always have a story to tell. Comprised of six basic colors, each of them denote a certain emotion or mood. A marvellous fact about these durable colors is that they don’t fade for centuries, thanks to the perfected craftsmanship which has been around for years and years.