Bengal Handicraft. Wooden Toys. Pair of Lord Jagannath

A scene from the saga of Radha and Krishna, essentially the most famous of Hindu deities, serves as one of the set of paintings that the Pata Shilpis show while singing the mythological story of Rashlila. These sets are shown accompanied by songs narrating stories of Radha - Krishna, to the villagers who cannot read the books but love to know more about them. This piece is done by Rajesh Chitrakar. 

The location of these Patachitra Shilpi or artists falls in a place, popularly known as Jangal Mahal in West Bengal. The area is home to a number of indigenous tribes like Santhals, Vills, Mundas. The paintings, for obvious reasons, depict the tribal culture. One such example by Nazra Chitrakar, who learnt the art from her older generations and is now passing it on to her successors. This one depicts the daily life and chores of the tribal people where the men are sleeping while the women are fetching water.