Pattachitra style of painting is one of the oldest and most popular art forms based in the Eastern Indian states of Odisha, West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh. The name Pattachitra has evolved from the Sanskrit word ‘patta’, meaning cloth, and ‘chitra’, meaning picture. Most of these paintings depict stories of Hindu deities.
The Pattachitra art form is believed to have originated in Odisha in the 12th century B.C., i.e more than 3000 years ago. Pattachitra is a cloth-based scroll painting on themes of Hindu mythology and specially inspired by Lord Jagannath of Puri (an avatar of Lord Krishna).
The most popular themes of Pattachitra art are The Badhia (a depiction of the temple of Jagannath), Krishna Lila (Lord Krishna displaying his powers as a child), Dasabatara Patti (the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu); and Panchamukhi (a depiction of Lord Ganesh as a five-headed deity). Some other themes include episodes from Ramayana & Mahabharata, nature-based and erotic subjects too.
