Arts n Crafts
Odisha boasts of a long and rich cultural heritage. Due to the reigns of
many different rulers in the past, the culture, arts and crafts of the
state underwent many changes, imitations, assimilation and new
creations, from time to time. The artistic skill of the Odishan artists
is unsurpassable in the world. The discovery that traditional artists
still live and work throughout Odisha, producing various objects in many
media, is an exciting part of any visit to the state.
Silver Filigree :
Of all the handicrafts of Odisha the most unique and the finest, in fact
the queen among them, is silver filigree, locally called tarakasi. The
craft is localised at Cuttack town and a few villages in Cuttack
district. The process consists of drawing silver through a series of
consecutively smaller holes to produce fine strands of wire. These wires are then made into various shapes by deft hands of the
craftsmen by bending them into different designs and soldering them with
pincer and scissors.Silver used by the artisans is usually of high
purity often exceeding ninety per cent.
Sand Arts :
In Odisha ,a unique type of art form is developed at Puri . But it spreads all over the world . To carve a sand sculpture , the raw material is the only clean and fine grained sand mixed with water . With the help of this type of sand and with the blessings of God and by the magic of fingures , an artist can carve a beautiful and attractive sculpture on the beach. More ....
Patta Chitra :
Besides mural paintings, we get miniature paintings, which are called patta chitras. Pattas are now used as wall hangings. The subject matter of Patta paintings is limited to religious themes. The stories of Rama and Krishna are usually depicted on the pattas. "Rasa Lila", "Vastra Haran", "Kaliya Dalan" are some of the recurring themes of Patta art.
Applique Art :
Like patachitras, appliqué work in Odisha also originated as a temple
art. The artisans of Pipli - a village 40 km from Puri have their
mastery in applique art. Besides Puri, appliqué work is also practiced
in Chitki,Barpali, and a couple of other places.
Colored cloth, are stitched in shape of animals, birds, flowers
and beautiful wall, garden or beach umbrella, a lamp shade and much more
hangings are made.
Saris and other attires are designed with appliqué work, which
is gaining lot of popularity in international market. Tiny mirrors are
stick or stitched by thread embroidery to create a remarkable work of
art. Colors like red, yellow, white and black are mainly used, in
applique work whereas green has also been added in recent times.
Rock Paintings :
Odisha has an age old tradition of Painting which stretches from the
prehistoric rock shelters to the temples and mathas of this century.
Out of these the traditional painters , the tribal painter , the folk
and rock painters are of significance.
Palm Leaf Paintings :
Palm leaf paintings are very ancient in Odisha.In Odisha the Palm Leaf illustrations are mainly of two types, simple engravings or illustrations in pure line on palm leaf and engraving with colour fillings. In these engravings, colours are muted and play a very minor part. Where colours are at all applied, they are just painted either to emphasize the inscriptions, or to fill up blank space.
Jhoti,Chita,Muruja :
The folk art of Odisha is bound up with its social and religious
activities. In the month of Margasira, women folk worship the goddess
Lakshmi. It is the harvest season when grain is thrashed and stored.
