The 'Pattachitra of Kalighat' was discussed in the article titled 'Folk Painting: Pattachitra,' highlighting the need for a dedicated exploration of this genre.

The significance of this painting is profound and cannot be easily summed up. The 'Pattachitra of Kalighat' is not just another folk painting of India; it is also one of the most important social paintings from a specific period in Indian history. It serves as historical evidence of how the market economy's influence on traditional Indian art has opened up new avenues or, in some cases, led to its decline.

writer Kazi Anisuddin Iqbal

The practice of various folk paintings has been prevalent in different regions of India for thousands of years. Traditionally, certain tribes, groups, or social castes within these areas have engaged in this artistic expression. While there are both similarities and differences among these painting styles, each one distinctly showcases its unique characteristics in terms of technique and content.

Mythological stories have often been portrayed through Pattachitra, a traditional cloth painting form. This art involves thick, long cloth woven on a loom, which is prepared for painting with various coatings. Each tale is elegantly narrated through a series of pictures. Pattachitra served not only as a showcase item but was also accompanied by various arrangements during exhibitions. Typically, the long 'pata' (the cloth on which the paintings were created) was rolled or folded for transportation. To fully appreciate Pattachitra, one must understand the importance of this traveling exhibition/ portable display format.

The artists who created these paintings were known as ‘Patuas.’ This craft was traditionally a family profession, with nearly all family members participating in the process through generations. I have elaborated on the Patuas more extensively in a prior article named "Folk Painting: Pattachitra”. Pattachitra gained popularity in Greater Bengal and Odisha. In Bengal (which includes present-day Bangladesh and West Bengal), the themes of the paintings transcended religious boundaries, encompassing various popular folk tales. In Odisha, however, the mythological stories primarily focused on Hindu religious themes. It is worth noting that many Patuas in Bangladesh were Muslims, and their motivations for painting were not solely based on religious sentiment. Pattachitra is not just a set of images; it is a narrative art form that presents a continuous story through a sequence of pictures. This storytelling is enhanced by accompanying songs, poems, and performances. If the audience found the presentation entertaining, they would often offer money as a token of appreciation, which helped support the family's expenses.

Kalighat's Pattachitra painted by Anwar Chitrakar_source: CreativeIndia

Tarakeswar murder: Elokeshi offers a betel leaf to the seated Mahant_source: Kalighat paintings by W.G.Archer 

A courtesan arranging a flower in her hair (India, c. 1800s)_source: Kalighat paintings by W.G.Archer 

These paintings were created not at the behest of any institution but in response to the needs of the general public. People in rural villages typically weren't interested in purchasing individual paintings because these works were long and expensive. An exception to this was the 'Chauka Pata,' which was smaller in size and depicted specific story characters, such as gods and goddesses, sacred animals, flowers, or symbolic representations, rather than a continuous narrative. Due to its smaller size, the Chauka Pata gradually became a popular item in household collections. This form of art is considered a predecessor to the Kalighat Pot that we are discussing.

Kalighat Pattachitra

In 1809, the present Kali temple was built on the banks of the Adiganga river by the initiative of the Sabarna Zamindar of Barisha, Shivdas Chowdhury, his son Ramlal and nephew Laxmikant. The temple is currently 90 feet high. This temple has an ancient history - Kalighat is mentioned in the 15th century Mansar Bhasan and the 17th century Chandi Mangal.

The Kalighat temple was built between 1830 and 1930 and became the main pilgrimage site of Kolkata city. During the early days of British rule, Kolkata was their capital. As a result, the city was growing rapidly in size and the population was also increasing. In Hindu religion, 'Kali' is considered a very powerful goddess. Devotees come and go regularly in the hope of gaining merit by visiting the temple. At the entrance of the temple, a group of people set up stalls selling various items of worship as well as various souvenir products for tourists. During the puja and festival, fairs are also held in the temple premises of villages in Bangladesh. At those fairs, various kinds of delicious foods are sold, and the Patuas also exhibit their stories and pictures under a tree, including music. Although the history of the early days of this Kali temple does not record the arrangements made by the Patuas, it is easy to guess.

The difference between a permanent temple and a "rural fair" should be highlighted here and the historical context should be given particular consideration.

Courtesan dressing her hair  (Kalighat's Pattachitra painted by Kalicharan Ghosh)_source: Kalighat paintings by W.G.Archer 

Kolkata was the main city of the colonial British government, where trade and commerce were more important than many other things. A middle class was developing in the city center and the employed class was receiving monthly cash, which was not possible in an agricultural society. Cash came to people dependent on agriculture by selling crops, which could happen at certain times of the year. As a result, the common people did not meet all their needs immediately but saved that money to come into their pockets. This is the biggest difference between urban life and rural life. Living in a city would cost something every day, so the city market was always bustling with buyers.

Shiva, as a great ascetic (1865-1870)_source: Kalighat paintings by W.G.Archer 

The cities that existed in Bangladesh before Kolkata were mainly administrative, but Kolkata started with trade. The British started a new urban culture by hiring people in their administration and other institutions and employees who followed regular office hours. This culture is rooted in consumerism.

In the city, people spend money unnecessarily, and the well-decorated shops in the markets constantly tempt them. In Kolkata, a large class of employed clerks began to live alongside a class of small and large local traders. The British rulers' friendship with this latter class largely dampened the anti-foreign sentiment.

In the agricultural Bengali society, none of the Hindus, Muslims, or Buddhists who followed the traditional religions lived a life of indulgence, they preached the glory of sacrifice. They did not have enough money to indulge in pleasures, they were the property of the kings their emperors, or the wealthy merchants. The merchants who were favored by the British rulers and the introduction of the Zamindari system led to the formation of a new Bengali rich class, they started building houses in the city of Kolkata, and those who lived in the villages used to come to Kolkata regularly.

The men of the new rich families wanted to imitate Europe, but they did not speak much English, and they did not want to dress completely like their masters, on the other hand, it was difficult for them to achieve the nobility that was in the behavior of the Kings or Nawabs. Therefore, a jumble of clothes and behavior, mixed with the taste of the Nawab era and British tastes, emerged. Their strange behavior not only aroused laughter among the English, but the people of the country also did not look upon these antics with favor.

Balarama standing with Krishna_source: Kalighat paintings by W.G.Archer 

'Babu' with a hookah

In Bangladesh, Hindu men were called 'babu' out of respect, and there was a common belief that this title protected their social status. The British also called them 'babu' to maintain harmony with the wealthy people of Kolkata. As a result, they called their inconsistent behavior 'babu culture'. During the medieval period of British rule, these babus had a great influence on the upper-middle class society of Kolkata.

The subject matter of the contemporary pattachitras of Bengal and Orissa tended to be twofold in the two states. In Orissa, due to the greater opportunities for temple-centered exhibitions, Hindu mythological stories were depicted more, and the use of palm leaves meant that the pattachitras remained small and easily portable. On the other hand, most of the Patuas of Bengal had become Muslims, so they did not have much devotion to depicting gods and goddesses. They easily added traditional stories, Ghazi's songs, Manasa Mangal, and the atrocities of Karbala to their list of stories and paintings.

The Patuas, who came to this temple in Kolkata, realized that the city people did not have time to listen to long Patua songs. They did not skimp on spending money when they came to the temple to worship. They even bought some souvenirs from the nearby shops on their way back. Their 'Chauka Pat' was small in size and free from description, so it was sold out. The Patuas of 24 Parganas and Midnapore thronged the Kali temple. They were not slaves to the narrow-mindedness of the rural society. They painted pictures of Goddess Kali, Ram-Lakshman, Hanuman, or Radha-Krishna for the devotees, as well as domestic animals such as cats, birds, and fish. The artist's eyes easily captured the inconsistencies of society, and they brought up issues that had been neglected in the past, such as domestic quarrels and squabbles, the luxury of Babu Moshai's hookah, and the way women styled their hair.

Such freedom of the artist in choosing the subject matter was unprecedented in the folk art of India. The lifespan of ‘Kalighat Pattachitra’ was approximately 150 years, this sub-genre is considered as folk art as it is a painting by the lower class people. The basis of this painting is the ‘Pattachitra’ of the present day and it was the Patuas or their descendants who migrated to Kolkata and started this medium.

Patuas’ paintings were a family job, that is, almost all the capable people of the family participated in the creation of this painting. The Patuas of Kalighat were no exception to this rule, the most skilled and experienced person would draw first, then someone would draw the borders around it, someone would do some work on the background if necessary, someone would fill in the colors of the figures, someone would detail the clothes or hair with thick or thin lines, in a word, the ‘line production’ of a factory. In this context, it is worth mentioning that despite being painted for almost a hundred years, the 'Pattachitra of Kalighat' could not be a large number of original paintings. For example, if a picture of Radha-Krishna became popular, it would be copied thousands of times. Several such paintings were standardized by the Patuas, and the next work would begin as soon as the skilled man of the family gave the new painting in imitation of that ideal picture.

Aquatic snake swallowing a fish_source: Kalighat paintings by W.G.Archer  

Pattachitra painted by Patuas of Midnapur_source: Tejas Art Gallery1. Goddess Lakshmi with peacock & rose 2. Kalighat Pattachitra by Anwar Chitrakar

The work of painting had to be done very quickly. That is why they kept many paintings half-finished so that they could finish the work quickly when they received an order. It also happened that many times the customer would place an order while entering the temple and take the painting when he returned after the puja.

In the art practice of Europe, the individuality of the artist prevailed, during the Kalighat period, artists in Europe were abandoning the old and religious order and starting a new era. In the world of art, the work and practice of artists from other countries of the world created special interest among art scholars. Due to the interest of European art scholars, many lost or neglected arts in India were reborn at that stage. Painting, sculpture and architecture like Ajanta-Ellora Khajuraho have been restored during the survey.

The Kalighat oil paintings also did not escape their attention. The diversity of the Patuas in terms of subject matter attracted them. They started collecting these inexpensive but skillfully drawn paintings. The satirical images of contemporary society that were revealed in the Kalighat oil paintings were considered historical documents. Seeing the interest of the owners, there was a special enthusiasm among the local upper and middle classes to collect these paintings. At that time, painters from different European countries came to Kolkata in the hope of earning money. They painted portraits of high-ranking English royal servants and their wives and children. In the European style, Bengali zamindars also started giving them orders as an aid to increasing their glory in their courts. These oil paintings were very expensive. The portraits that European artists used to paint showed the face of the person, but there was no such opportunity in the oil paintings. A Babu with a beard is not a special person. Nevertheless, this ‘Babu’ became popular. In terms of art, the symbolic images of these Babus are not at all inferior to portraits. The rise of this new class in colonial Bengal is an important phase in the thinking of the Bengali nation. In addition to depicting the humorous activities of the rich people of that society in pattachitra, the artists used to draw many pictures of daily life, which, although seemingly simple, are quite surprising when you look closely. In these pattachitra, the characters in the picture are not drawn directly face to face, but are presented in an angular manner, this drawing technique is quite high-level, found in the cave paintings of Ajanta. In the pattachitra of Kalighat, no color was given to the background, the main figure of the picture stood out in black thick or thin lines, and the body or clothes of the figure were given colors mixed with water, those colors were derived from nature. The colors used in Kalighat pattachitra are vivid. The yellow colour comes from turmeric, that we use for cooking, the blue colour comes from the petals of the Aparajita flower, and the black colour comes from the black ink. Similarly, red, brown or white colours were obtained from various local ingredients. The technique of making colours from such sources was practiced all over India. However, colours imported from Europe took over that place later.

Pattachitra painted by Jamini Roy

The originality of Kalighat's pata is in its bright colors, the movement of the wavy lines, and the direct presentation. The patuas have shown great skill in drawing the outlines of various figures on a white background on paper. Not only the outlines, but also small fine lines inside the figures were used to create a harmony within the picture. While giving colors, it is seen that in the Indian tradition, only one color is used, instead of that, they have used light shades to bring a three-dimensional feel. This idea may be the result of Western influence. Just as the presentation of the characters in the picture in a somewhat angular manner comes from Indian ideals, on the contrary, the presentation of contemporary events in the picture, even if it is satirical, can be called the Western influence of Kolkata.

1. Bibi fixing her hair 2. A courtesan with her admirer 3. A courtesan smoking a hookah 4. Bibi hitting the 'Babu' with a broom 5. A woman feeding her pets

The two aspects of Kali (19th century Kalighat Pattachitra)_source: Kalighat paintings by W.G.Archer 

Experience works behind imagination. The artist draws dreams by mixing reality with imagination. We see horses in reality, but what is wrong with adding bird wings to draw a Pankhiraj horse? If the goddess has many hands in her imagination, her various powers are symbolically presented. In the religious atmosphere of India, this practice of portraying images was so tightly regulated through long-term practice that the symbols to be used to represent a deity or the importance of who would be given to a story in the frame of a picture were all predetermined. In that respect, Bengali pattachitra was moving forward in a largely secular manner, but by the time of Kalighat, the patuas became more independent, they painted contemporary subjects, highlighting the inconsistencies of society.

The priests of the temples in Dakshineswar were preaching freedom at that time, 'As many faiths, so many paths', and even the lower castes were flocking to the temples. Under the influence of city life, the gods were not only worshipped but also loved, and their pictures were not only for worship but also for enhancing the beauty of the house. In this way, pictures became a collection item. British gentlemen eagerly collected the Kalighat paintings and placed them in their country's museums. A new explanation came out, 'The Patuas are much more modern and realistic than the people who follow the traditional ideas of India'. They established a market for selling pictures by bringing art within the purchasing power of the common people. The Patuas of Kalighat also started using European bright colors and glazing on the pictures when they were finished.

Kalighat's Pattachitra painted by Anwar Chitrakar

1. Kalighat Pattachira of 'Radha-krishna' 2. Couple holding tabla & veena 3. Cat eating fish

Their pictures spread all over India and were also going abroad, and a kind of printing method came into being in order to produce more. (Block printing was not unknown in India, a kind of block printing called 'Bottola pictures' was also available in Kolkata at that time) As a result, there was no need to draw popular subjects accurately by hand, it took less time, but the danger came from the other side, clever businessmen in Germany noticed the popularity of Pattachitra and the size of the market and made prints of these pictures. They were printed on better durable glossy paper and released in the Indian market. In this competition, the Patuas of Kalighat lost, and the children of the Patuas left their ancestral profession.

Thus, this ephemeral folk painting trend in Bengal became extinct in the early 20th century. However, with the various possibilities of this trend, some Indian artists have tried to create a modern Indian art trend by retaining some elements, and some light needs to be shed on that trend.

The attempt to bring some three-dimensionality to the picture by shading the figures was probably made in Indian painting even before the Kalighat paintings, as such a technique was used in the illustrations of Rajput stories (1690). In the wall paintings of temples built by the Gupta kings in the 4th century, such shading was also used to draw the silk clothes worn by beautiful nymphs.

Square pata painted by Jamini Roy

The period of the rise of Kalighat paintings and the drying up of its sources can be roughly divided into 3 phases:

The beginning of this painting style from 1800 and the maturation of its special features and the second phase, i.e. by 1890, the use of various subjects, forms, and new colors in this painting stood out as its own identity and the last phase was the tragic period of the gradual drying up of Kalighat paintings during the period 1900-1930.

Jamini Roy is a famous Indian artist trained in the modern style. Few artists like him, who were exploring the path of creating their own style in India without being swept away by the western trend. Jamini Roy, by deeply observing various art forms in all corners of Bengal, especially practicing the contemporary Bengali pattachitra, started painting new genres alongside the pattachitra of Kalighat.

Although there are some extracts from Pattachitra in his paintings, there are many differences in the presentation. First of all, Jamini Roy created a background of the earthy colors of Bengal, the angular presentation of Pattachitra was not maintained, instead of the direct reality and playfulness of Kalighat paintings and the strong or active images of women, he made the expression of a kind of eternity the main thing. His paintings are not the progress of the continuous skills of people in the humble age, but they are 'Jamini Roy's paintings'. His lines are trained and consistent with the drawings of the whole world, the eyes of the figures look directly at the viewer and he has established these eyes as his own style. His followers have also avoided the contemporary nature of Kalighat. The renowned artist of Bangladesh, Kamrul Hasan, also used to introduce himself as a 'Patua'- it is not difficult to find the shadow of Jamini Roy in his paintings.

'Three Pujarinis' painted by Jamini Roy

Jamini Roy, an established artist, may have anticipated the decline of Kalighat Pattachitra, which was declining under the pressure of printmaking, and so he incorporated some aspects of Pattachitra into his own work, initiating a new form of expression. There is considerable debate as to whether Jamini Roy and his followers attempted to give a different form to this 150-year-old painting style, or whether they ended the genre.