The cloth used as the base for painting is called ‘Pata’. The word came from Sanskrit word ‘patta’. Soft and thick hand woven cloth is used for it. However, pata’s can also be made with palm leaves in a special way.

The practice of Pattachitra was more prevalent in the greater Bengal and Orissa of undivided India. Various folk painting styles were practiced in different states of India for a long time. Naturally, these arts among different groups of people have similarities, but they also differ considerably - they are unique in content, purpose, artistry and style. This difference indicates the prevailing customs and behavior of their society, religious beliefs and the level of class discrimination in the society.

Writer Kazi Anisuddin Iqbal

Image: Map of India, where the places where Patachitra was practiced spread from West Bengal to East Bengal

Pattachitra was more prevalent in the Eastern part of undivided Bengal. In old times, people used to have social gatherings where mythical stories, folk tales, religious stories were recited. Patas were rolled up in a round shape to be carried from one place to another. In Orissa, patas were made by sewing palm leaves together instead of cloth, so it was possible to fold them.

Image: 'Ganesh and Mother Durga' - The influence of Patachitra is visible in Jamini Roy's art

Due to the fertility of the cropland of Bangladesh, the economic condition of the common people was fairly prosperous except for a few special periods. In the agricultural society, various local metaphysical beliefs were created and they were often well received in their stories. Sometimes stories of fear, sometimes of respect, sometimes of love. At different stages of history, foreign powers have appeared in this country, they have brought with them various elements of their own social and religious beliefs. For example, the Aryans entered this country after they had settled in North India. As a result, the process of adapting themselves to the local religious beliefs was quite advanced by then. At the time of their entry into this country, there were also people from North and West India with them, who wanted to introduce themselves as the ruling class instead of mixing with the people of this country. The common people of this country have rather looked at the religious system of the upper class with curiosity and wanted to be blessed by surrendering themselves to the more magnificent worship.

But they did not completely abandon their culture, some of the art practices at the level of the common people did not receive attention from the royal court, but survived the passage of time. To understand the art of this lower class, one must understand the social structure of the people of this region.

Geographically, this region is river-based, receives a lot of rainfall, the soil is very fertile, and is quite suitable for agricultural work. The lifestyle is very simple in this warm-humid climate. There is enough leisure time between seasonal agricultural work. Therefore, they used to pass the time in singing, playing music, festivals, various types of rural sports and art. It was a favorable situation for talking or chatting. Mythological stories were spread from this chatting and formed the basis of various beliefs. Rituals were also immerged so that if they were not followed, it would be bad luck. In this way objects like trees, rivers, fountains, animals and birds along with the Sun, Moon, sky or wind became objects of worship. They even worship their ancestors or wise men of the past, thry describe this system as a way to show respect. As time went on, the rules and regulations of worship were also created, but in this country, these worships were not temple-based, that is, they did not receive institutional status. The myths associated with their worship were spread in the form of stories. In Greater Bengal, songs were an accompaniment to the oral stories. With the evolution of time, the display of pictures stood out as a very effective method to make the stories more attractive in these song gatherings.

Image: Bengal Pattachitra (The Enchanting World of Pattachitra Art by Asma Khan)

Image: A Patua singing Patua music

In the 60s, Bioscope exhibitions were held in this country, which were very interesting for children and teenagers. There were a few holes in a box, the boys would look through it, and inside there were various pictures on a roll-up screen. The pictures could be drawings or interesting pictures from a calendar. The Bioscope owner would narrate the pictures with music, and one after another picture would roll down, then the story would change. In exchange for money, this picture exhibition can be called a socio-economic appropriation of Pattachitra. 

Pattachitra is basically a depiction of a mythological story, many pictures were drawn on a long strip and that strip was folded or rolled up. A little bit of preparation had to be done for the Pattachitra exhibition. There would be some musical instruments along with the narrator or singer. They were a small group, and when enough people gathered through singing, they would open the box and take out the rolled-up cloths and hang them up. Then there would be a dramatic narration, sometimes talking, sometimes singing or rhyming, and even dancing.

In the dramatic presentation of the war between Ram and Ravana, the pictures drawn on the canvas are the most effective in identifying Ram or the ten-headed Ravana. Behula's Bridal chamber or Chand Saudagar's oath are all on the canvas. It is a beautiful arrangement to wander through that fantasy world of myths in front of the audience along with the narration of the story.

While searching for the original source of Pattachitra, researchers have found a glimpse of its existence even 2500 years ago. As a very suitable medium for spreading any topic under the guise of storytelling, it has gained special importance among religious preachers. And there is no shortage of religions that have found a place in India. Vedic, Jain, Buddhist, Islamic, Christian, Sikh beliefs along with many sub-genres among themselves. Greater Bengal also has its own many gods and goddesses, mythological stories.

Folk tales have been able to maintain their existence even among those big sources. Due to the clear uniqueness of the socio-economic context in Bangladesh, the customs of all religions have changed somewhat and new paths have been created by intertwining with other beliefs. That is why at some stages of history, a kind of competition also developed in the propagation of these beliefs. In such an environment, the value of Pattachitra has also increased.

Image: Odisha Pattachitra

Image: Andhra Pradesh Pattachitra

Image: A Patua from Raghurajpur village (housenama.com)

Image: Adding colour to the painting

Just as Pattachitra is the predecessor of Bioscope, many consider it to be the original version of the present-day 'comic' picture-story due to the sequential presentation of the story. This Pattachitra was a medium for promoting education, social customs and civilization. As a result, the historical continuity of Pattachitra can be understood as the tradition of folk painting in this country. Those who draw Pattachitra are called 'Patua'.

Patuas are family-based professions, meaning they have been doing this work for generations. Patuas are not only painters, they also sing songs along with the display of paintings, and those songs are Patua music. The Patua community in Bangladesh is mainly Muslim. Muslims are not encouraged to paint portraits or sing and play music in their religious practices, so why is the Patuas maintaining in such a contrary way of life?

In a story narrated in the Brihadharma Purana, the world architect Vishwakarma meets a woman from a lower caste and gives birth to nine children. Since the mother is from a lower caste, the fate of those children is determined by the fact that they will have to earn a living through physical labor. The responsibility of painting falls on the youngest son, meaning that this profession is not acceptable to the elite. If they could entertain the public by painting and singing, their family would run on whatever little they could earn. There is no way to change their profession in a casteist society.

During the Muslim rule, this marginalized group of people became Muslims to avoid this social neglect and oppression by the upper castes. The Muslims conquered the kingdom but did not change the society with any new economic system. As a result, they remained in their old profession, their names changed as Muslims but previous way was maintained in their daily lives. Except, if any of them wanted to, they could change their profession. There was no longer any obstacle to adopting the myths about Muslim saints in their story. There was no enthusiastic patronage of pattachitra in Muslim society, pattachitra was shown and sung at rural festivals, and its audience was not limited to followers of a particular religion.

Image: Santhal Pattachitra (The Enchanting World of Pattachitra Art by Asma Khan)

The time and effort required to create a Patachitra could not be paid for by the rural people of this region, so Patachitra was not a saleable product. It was performed in exchange for money, like drama or song performances of our lives. Pattachitra, which was composed to entertain the religious emotions and mental state of the common people, was accompanied by Patua music, and the lyrics of the songs were also included in the lyrics. It was sung in a manner similar to Panchali.

Those who paint these paintings is ‘Chitrakar’ by family, although they are also called Patua, Patidar, etc.

Types of Pattachitra

From a practical point of view, three types of patas are more common:

1. Jorano Pata: These pots are 2-3 feet wide and 25-30 feet long. The long Patachitra is kept rolled up, hence the name Jorano pata, whether it is up-down or horizontal, has no different relation to the content. Each pata contains more than 20 frames, the story of the frames maintains continuity, when the story of one frame is told, the next frame is opened.

2. Folded Pata: This pata is usually a pot sewn from palm leaves, which can be folded. These patas are made by removing the veins of the palm leaf, drying the thin part of the leaf and then sewing it together. While drawing on the palm leaf, a little pressure is applied to leave marks, which remain as an outline. The color elements used to draw on the palm leaf also differ slightly. It is more popular in the regions of Puri, Bhubaneswar etc. of Odisha, and religious narratives are mostly depicted through this medium.

3. Chauka Pata: Small in size. These are suitable for personal collection. Rather than telling a continuous story, they are an accompaniment to a separate subject or a dedication to a particular deity.

Also, stories are painted in the style of Pattachitra behind the Durga Puja idol- is popular in Bengali region, stories. The shape of these pictures depends on how they will be placed on the background. Outside the general shape, they can sometimes be circular or semi-circular. These pictures are called Chalchitra.

Image: Jorano pata (source: Nilanjan Basu)

Image: Folded pata (source: zolaindia)

Image: Chauka pata (source: gaatha.com)

Image: Chalchitra of 'Dasavatar' & "Ashtashakhi' (source: my KOLKATA)

Image: Chalchitra, Artist: Reba Pal (source: my KOLKATA)

Again, there are different types of pata, such as Jampata, Gazipata, Satyapirer Pata, Pabuji Pata, Hindu Pran Pata, Kalighat Pata, Saheb Pata, Chaksudan Pata. Also, in rural areas, pata is used to increase social awareness, to prevent various infectious diseases or crimes. Various posters and banners are now made on the frame of the pata for mass social campaigns like vaccination and tree plantation programs. Pattachitra can also be identified by the stories such as Behula-Lakshindar, Radha-Krishna, Chaitanya Leela, Sita's stay in the forest, and the story of Gazi Pir.

The name itself tells what the subject of the pata is. Even if the story is the same, the pattachitra will not be the same. Rather, the composition and ornamentation of the picture is a sign of the painter's individuality. The religious-based mythological stories are expressed in the pattachitra of this country in a very simple way. The level of thought and consciousness of the audience of the story is the main reason for this simple presentation. The behavior of the gods is much like that of humans, they can take the form of humans or other animals in the form of avatars, so the gods are depicted in the form of humans in the pattachitra, perhaps with a few ornaments or marks. For the Santals, the dead, the old woman, or the Pirpata for the common people of Bengal were painted. The miraculous feats of the Pir(saint), such as traveling on the back of a tiger, and the animals of the forest obeying his orders, are depicted in the pictures.

Image: Kalighat Patachitra, Durga Patachitra of West Bengal, Makhan chor Krishna-Tasar Painting on Silk Cloth

Image: Gazi Pata (source: Gazi Pattchitra of Bangladesh, Rifat Ahmed)

Gazi Pata was basically a folktale depicting Gazi-Kalu-Champavati. In this film, various stories of Gazi Pir are told, for example, he is fighting with the king of Sundarbans, sometimes he is sitting on the back of a tiger with a sword in his hand. In this type of pata, apart from Gazi, characters like Manik Pir, Madar Pir, Satya Pir, Kalu Fakir, Ban Bibi etc. are also present in various ways, in different poses and as part of the story.

Jam(yama), magic, eye painting, horoscope painting etc. are indicative of the belief in supernatural powers of contemporary society. Among them, eye painting is a matter of special curiosity, the painters used to avoid to draw the eyes of the deceased and demand money from his relatives. If the eyes were not painted, he would not find his way to the land of death, so the emotional people sought a way out of this charlatanism of the painter in exchange for money.

From the twelfth to the nineteenth century, the painters of Bengal were very active in this painting. These painters lived mainly in Noakhali, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Jessore, Birbhum, Bankura, Nadia, Murshidabad, Hooghly, and Medinipur. As other attractive work opportunities and social obligations were weak, the ‘potua’s are gradually leaving this profession.

Regarding the Chauka Pat, it should be said that one of its types became very popular in Kolkata during the British period. It was known as 'Kalighater Pat', I would like to discuss this particular Patachitra a little separately, I intend to publish that part later as the tail of this article.

Image: 'Jagannath Ratha Yatra' festival in 'Puri', India (Exploring the significance of pattachitra art in Jagannath Ratha Yatra)

Image: Techniques for drawing pictures (source: gaatha.com)

Image: Pattachitra being made (source: Anandabazar Paper)

Techniques for drawing pictures

The first step is to make a pata. With the change of era, the technique of this pata has changed a lot. In ancient times, the ground was made by attaching several layers of cloth, using glue made from cow dung, mud and tamarind powder, later the practice of making patas came about by sticking cloth on the back of specially prepared starch or handmade paper. It was necessary to have the facility to roll up long patas, so it should be checked that the patas were not too stiff.

There are several steps in drawing pictures of Patuas, first the border of the pata is made. Then the picture is sketched, when drawing a figure, first the head is drawn, then the body and finally the legs. The sketch is done by an experienced and skilled person in the family. In the third step, the background is created by filling the outer part of the figure with red or some other color. Then the body and dress of the figure are painted. There is no need for excessive decoration in a pata.

The lines were not covered. Pencils were not used to draw the initial lines, but charcoal, brush, thread, etc. were used. There is no special rule in the composition of the picture, the painter has freedom, but the main character of the story of the picture is quite dominant. Direct presentation without being burdened with small details. The technique of three-dimensionality is not seen much in other folk paintings of India, in this case too, keeping space in the composition of the picture or three-dimensional techniques such as near-far or foreshortening are absent. In the canvases, the importance of moving lines in expressing the contours of the figures is very simple in comparison. Although the classical grammar of Indian art and painting is absent in this lower-class painting, the picture is quite expressive and the purpose is successful

Image: Techniques for painting on palm leaves (source: Irakoi)

Equipments of the art form

I have already given some idea about the method of making the pata, but local influence, i.e. the availability of necessary ingredients, is also an issue. To make the colors, oyster or conch powder, white clay, ochre clay, tamarind powder, turmeric, yellow stone powder, indigo, vermilion or even cow dung were used. Later, various chemical colors gradually put an end to that complicated method. Painters used to work with bird feathers, brushes made by attaching animal hair to the head of a stick, or a kind of brush made by softening the head of a bamboo sliver.

Image: Eqipments of the art form (source: gaatha.com)

Painting is a family work, so both men and women participate. There is no information about the custom of observing any special religious rituals at the beginning or end. However, the painter draws signs to highlight the identity of the characters in the story and picture, explaining, this is Sri Krishna or this is Ravana. The Patuas do not practice any religion through these paintings, so the needs of the audience are paramount to them.

Present day

The social demand for the original Patachitra is no longer there, its place has been taken by comic books or animated movies. However, although there are image-based promotional materials like posters and festoons, they are in no way comparable to Patachitra. Now, the style of painting on the Patachitra is rather painted on various handicrafts, curtains or panels for home decoration. The Patachitra is now in a museum, and I don't remember when I last heard Gazi's song.

Image: Nowadays, the transformation of Patachitra can be seen in various media