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> Art and Crafts of Orissa |
| Art
and Crafts of Orissa |
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Rooted
in custom, tradition and utility, the Oriyan craftsman
is the vibrant link in an unbroken chain, which embraces
both producers and consumers within a socio-religious
framework. Throughout its history, Orissa nurtured a
rich and variegated religious heritage. The interaction,
which followed the rise and fall of different movements-Jainism,
Buddhism, Shaivism, Vaishnavism-provided a remarkable
cradle for cultural development. A strong tribal element
ran side by side with religion and is still reflected
in many of the crafts of Orissa.
Glimpses
of the craft technologies that date back over several
thousand years can be had from the shop windows of Bhubaneswar.
The tie and dye or ikat technique of Orissa is, for
instance, an ancient intricate process of dyeing yarn
in segments to produce bold, beautiful patterns on the
loom while weaving.
Wherever
one goes in Orissa, one can find almost the entire range
of arts and crafts in the market places of the main
towns and cities. Co-operative societies have played
an important role in preserving the rich craft heritage
of the State by ensuring easy access to customers and
thus sustaining a continuous demand for products. But
perhaps the secret of Orissa's crafts lies in their
fascinating combination of beauty and utility-a tribute
to the vision of the craftsmen. Instead of being merely
decorative reminders of another age, the crafts of Orissa
are gloriously alive-suited to modern tastes and yet
retaining all the essential traditional links with a
checkered past. |
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Weaving
The royal Mauryan textile workshops that were established
more than 2000 years ago employed spinners, weavers
and embroiderers. In the course of time, temple towns
such as Bhubaneswar became home for many weaving communities.
Orissa is a part of the great weaving belt that stretches
through Assam and other North-Eastern states like West
Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Today, there are more than
3 lakh handloom weavers in Orissa producing a rich range
of textures. |
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Eloquent
and realistic, the fabrics (a variety of silks, tussar,
and cotton) and designs (tribal, traditional, and modern)
on display at Bhubaneswar have found a good export market.
The hosting of textile exhibitions and handloom expositions
is an annual feature at Bhubaneswar. |
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| Palm
Leaf Writing
Away from the shops and bazaars, in some friendly Oriyan
household or in a temple or at an astrologer's place,
the ancient art of palm leaf writing still survives.
Religious texts continue to be read out from palm leaf
manuscripts rather than from printed books. Horoscopes,
too, are traditionally written on palm leaves by professional
horoscope makers known as nahakas. Palm leaf was considered
so sacred that even after printing presses began operating
in Orissa, important texts continued to be printed on
the leaves instead of paper. The printing of New Year
cards and wedding invitations on palm leaf is still
popular in Orissa. |
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Patachitra
Just 70 km away, on the sea coast lies Puri, a temple
and beach town that shares and mirrors some of Bhubaneswar's
arts and crafts, even as it nurtures arts and crafts
that are uniquely its own. In the famous exquisitely
carved Jagannath temple, an annual ritual has given
birth to a treasured art form. Three paintings on specially
treated cloth or patas are prepared by the temple painter
and hung inside the sacred precincts of the temple.
Originating as a ritual, patas developed over the years,
as a distinct school of painting executed by the chitrakar
(artist) community. Blood red, red ochre, lamp black,
yellow, white and indigo blue sometimes offset each
other, sometimes blend to form patachitras in the skilled
hands of talented chitrakars who follow in the footsteps
of their forefathers. |
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The
word patachitra is derived from the Sanskrit word pata,
which means a painted piece of cloth, a picture, a tablet
or a plate. Chitra means painting or picture. Elements
of folk and sophisticated art and craft characterise
each finely executed patachitra.
Since
olden times, pilgrims to Puri have been carrying home
the colorful patas or patachitras as precious mementos-
just as they carry back Ganga jal (water from the holy
Ganges) form Haridwar. The patas from Puri are sought
after by tourists and art lovers both in India and abroad.
The
chitrakars live and practice their hereditary art in
Puri and in two villages on its outskirts-Raghurajpur
and Dandshahi. In Raghurajpur, there are close to fifty
families of pata painters. Each of them has a family
sketchbook handed down from generation to generation.
Gods and Goddesses, the lilas (fanciful but allegorical
activities) of Lord Krishna, legends and animals, are
all depicted in the sketchbooks. These books are the
chitrakars most valuable possessions and are worshipped
along with the family gods. Besides pata paintings,
the chitrakars also make unique, circular playing cards
known as ganjifa which are popular in villages all over
Orissa. |
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Appliqué
Art
The appliqué art perfected by the artisans of
Pipli, a village 40 km from Puri on the Bhubaneswar-Puri
route, now decorates homes in various parts of the world.
Like patachitras, appliqué work in Orissa also
originated as a temple art. Coloured cloth, after being
cut and shaped into the forms of birds, animals, flowers,
leaves, and other decorative motifs is stitched onto
a cloth piece designed as a wall hanging, garden or
beach umbrella, a lamp shade and other utility items.
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Since
the past decade or so, saris and household linen in
appliqué work are also being produced in increasing
numbers. Tiny mirrors in a whole range of geometrical
shapes and designs are then encapsulated by thread embroidery
to create a striking work of art. Four basic traditional
colours- red, yellow, white and black are used, while
green has been added in comparatively recent times.
Besides Puri, appliqué work is also practised
to some extent in Chitki, Barpali, and a couple of other
places. |
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Carving
Over the centuries, Puri has preserved a superb tradition
of carving, dating back to the Kalinga School. Craftsmen
in Pathuriasahi at Puri use soft soapstone and hard
kochila to carve replicas of temple sculptures. At Mangalpur
near Balasore, skilled craftsmen carve utensils of rare
beauty from the semi-grey stone of Khiching.
In
addition to stoneware, stylised animal and bird toys
meticulously carved out of wood, and painted wooden
masks, once used in plays based on the Mahabharata and
Ramayana are a feast for the eyes. |
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The
craftsmen of Khandapara in Puri are masters at carving
plates, bowls, jugs, flower vases and other decorative
and functional articles from a creamy white wood.
Carving in Puri is not confined to stone and wood alone.
The porous roots and stem of a water plant are being
used since ancient times to carve miniature statues
of gods and goddesses, temple replicas, animals, decorative
hangings, garlands. Known as Sholapith work, the carved
articles, if left in natural off-white, look like ivory.
When painted, they acquire a distinctive sheen. The
papier-mâché art of Puri, Chikti Barpali,
Parlakhamedi (Ganjam district), and a few villages around
Cuttack has unusual features. The papier-mâché
toys produced by the craftsmen have detachable limbs
and nodding heads. |
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Metal
Work
A small, select group of gifted Puri craftsmen also
persevere with the traditional craft of making brass
icons. Elsewhere in the state, in small places such
as Behrampur and Belguntha (in Ganjam district), Tarva
(Bolangir district), Chandanpur, Phulbani, and Kantilo
are scattered some 15,000 families who specialise in
producing a variety of brass and bell metal craft objects,
which exhibit extraordinary craftsmanship. In Tarva,
the craftsmen fashion beautiful utilitarian and decorative
objects such as plates, ashtrays and bells out of white
metal. About 230 tribal families produce prized dhokra
metalware items-boxes, lamps, figures of deities-by
the cire perdue or lost wax method.
The
highly refined, delicate craft of tarkashi or silver
filigree work is practised in Cuttack. Silver is beaten
and drawn into fine wires and foils, which are then
joined together to form articles-generally ornaments-of
stirring beauty.
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The
snow glazed filigree work or tarkashi of Cuttack was
once sought after by royal households and merchants
from far and wide. Today, the tarkashi workers continue
to uphold the traditions of outstanding workmanship,
but the clientele has changed, resulting in a comparatively
reduced, standardised variety of articles.
Besides
its famed tarkashi, Cuttack is also well known for its
horn work. Buffalo and cow horns are used by skilled
artisans to produce tastefully designed ashtrays, jewellery,
figures of birds and animals. |
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