Embroidery on Handloom Noel Saree

A depiction of modern women of the then Kolkata in this Patachitra talks about the inclination of the upper class, urban women towards art and music. Painted in typical Pot Maya style, by a young artist of today, Rajesh Chitrakar, it shows the culture of Bengal. 

The Patachitra of Pingla generally depicts the stories of Hindu mythology. In this artwork we can see the Hindu God Kartik with his peacock, done by Suman Chitrakar. The colours used in these artworks are all derived from natural elements; for example green is made from leaves, yellow from turmeric, etc. 

This painting, by Bahadur Chitrakar, is a scene from the Manasa Mangal, also known as Padmapuran, a folk lore based on Hindu mythology. The deity of snakes, Devi Manasa is one of the protagonists of the story who compels Chand Saudagar, a rich businessman, to worship her by hook or crook. Chand was a worshipper of Shiva and he would never want to pay homage to Manasa. To fulfil her desire, Manasa sends her snakes to bite Chand’s son Lakhindar to death. Behula, the wife of Lakhindar, takes all the pain to make piece between Manasa and Chand, and subsequently gets back her husband to life. 

Mirabai is an immortal character who expressed her devotion to Lord Krishna through her music. This painting of Mirabai belongs to the typical Pata Shilpa gharana of Bengal. The simple yet bold strokes are the signature style of these artists who are the children of the soil. With these paintings, they tell the stories of Mirabai through songs, composed by themselves. This piece is created by Bahadur Chitrakar.