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| Raghurajpur | ||||
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 Raghurajpur
has resurrected itself to a living, sylvan visage of Orissa's mural
painting tradition. Only mineral and earth colours are used in the
paintings, together with plant gums for binders. The grinding and
preparation of pigments and binders is done by the women. Red Ochre and
Cinnabar (red), Lamp black (black), conch shell (white) and Orpiment
(yellow) are the only pigments used. Though patachitra is its best
known, Raghurajpur's households proudly display other accomplishments in
palm leaf inscriptions, papier mache, sodhai work, mural painting, cow
dung toys, coir, screw pine leaf and wood work, filigree, applique,
terracotta and bell metal work. Alongside, the Gotipua Gurukul Academy
has nurtured Raghurajpur's illustrious Odissi dance tradition of Guru
Kelucharan Mohapatra. The artistry is heady…not to be missed and easily
reached!Raghurajpur is located 12 km from Puri, an important pilgrimage destination and 50km from Bhubaneshwar, capital of Orissa. Readily available bus and taxi services ply on this route. The nearest airport is Bhubaneshwar. Tourist Interest - Famous for its pattachitra paintings, this artists' village, loacted 14 km from Puri, makes for an interesting excursion. No village is more involved in preserving India's priceless skills. Its thatched, brick, houses on high plinths with sit-out platforms are the repositories of artists busy at wok. At the end of this 'stony' jaunt there lies breathtaking paintings and the Gotipana dance by the Gurukul.There is an adage that the air in Raghurajpur breeds artistry. This quintessential village in Orrissa can be very well dubbed as a living workshop for artisans.Set amidst groves, water bodies, fields and palm trees, the village creates an enduring impression. The repertoire of art forms in this village is numerous. Populated by artisans practising Stone craft, Patta painting, Palm leaf inscription, Papier mache, Sodhai work mural painting, Cow dung toys, Coir, Screw pine leaf and wood work, Filigree, Appliqué, Terracotta and Bell metal work, The village comes alive when the artisans start their day, to create some magnificent handicraft.
Cuisine: Rice is the staple food of the local populace.
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Art
& Craft - The paper on which pattachitras are
painted is specially prepared using a paste made of tamarind seeds and
powdered chalk. This makes it parchment-tough. Using delicate brushes,
the fine outlines of the painting are drawn. These, are then, filled in
with colours to create pictures from the epics like Mahabharata and
Ramayana. Little girls sit in front of their homes with a mural of the
great Puri Trinity - Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra - and
outline the flowering creeper in the religious folk-art style. Craftsmen
then carve effigies out of wood and paint them in vivid, primary,
colours. Bright altars for the homes of devotees are nailed together
with a jeweller's care, and then painted. Originally these pattas were
affixed to the sheltering screen behind which the Puri Trinity rested
for fifteen days. Though the art of Raghurajpur was originally inspired
by religious themes, the artists have responded to changing demands and
have begun to handle secular subjects with the same painstaking finesse.
Everyone here seems to be an established artist, an aspiring artist, or
a probationary one. And art overflows everywhere. Though patta painting
is the mainstay of Raghurajpur's artistic brilliance, one can also find
many hluseholds creating exquisite stuff with palm leaf inscription,
papier mache, sodhai work mural painting, cow dung toys, coir, screw
pine leaf and wood work, filigree, appliqué, terracotta and bell metal
work.