Important India

Discover India with Important India

  • Home
  • About
  • History
  • Important India
  • Categories
  • TOU
  • Contact Us

Orissa Painting (Orissan Painting, Painting Of Orissa)

On August 19, 2013 By Nirmal Patra Category: Art of Orissa, Orissa

Orissa Painting

Orissa has a long tradition of painting from prehistoric times. Traditions of wall paintings are also very much in existence in rural and tribal areas. These are called folk-paintings. Painting in Orissa is still a living tradition.

The rock painting of prehistoric times have been found in Orissa, primarily in the far western parts of the state namely Vikramkhol in Jharsuguda district, Gudahandi in Kalahandi district, Jogimath in Nuapada district, Manikgada and Usakothi in Sundargarh District.

The drawings are fast fading away. Paintings in red and black colours appear at the entrances of some of the caves in Gudahandi hills. The facades of the natural caves were decorated with drawings mostly of geometrical designs-squares, rectangles, circles etc. The most interesting drawing is a hunting scene which depicts a primitive man throwing a stone at a running bison. These indicate that the caves were once the habitats of prehistoric hunters.

The drawings in the Yogimath hill probably have prehistoric writings. The pictographs consist of hills, wavy lines, implements, musical instruments as well as animals and human figures. Man probably in this part started giving expression to his ideas through picture-writings. The pictographic writing in Vikramkhol cave is a very important photo-historic relic.

The characters in Vikramkhol inscription appears to be intermediary between Mahenzdaro and Brahmi scripts. It appears that the letters were first painted before they were incised. In the rock-shelter at Manikmunda, there are paintings in red active colours illustrating hunting and other scenes. The pictographic writing found in Ushakothi hill-caves, throws light on the protohistoric culture of the region. All these indicate existence of prehistoric art in Orissa.

Rural Folk-Paintings of Orissa

Folk paintings have been a part of the ritual of living in rural areas, where one finds a manifestation of artistic impulses in villages. Laxmi is the Goddess of wealth. During harvest times, Laxmi is worshipped in rural areas with rice-paste and water. On this occasion, the mudwalls of the houses are painted with various floral designs (especially of paddy stalks) and pictures of birds (normally peacock) and creepers of various descriptions.

The art is traditionally passed on from one generation to another. Besides the Chita or Jhoti which is painted on the floors and walls for Laxmi Puja, there are various other occasions when similar paintings are made, namely seasonal festivals such as Khudurukuni, Dussera, and Kartika etc. During marriage celebrations, Chittas are also painted on the walls of houses. These are pictures of palanquins and their bearers carrying the bride, the water-filled pitchers (Kalasha), floral designs and decorative and banana trees which symbolize auspiciousness.

The Jhoti or Chita and the Muruja are different forms of folk paintings. In Jhoti-­Chita, the ingredient is mostly rice-paste in water of requisite dilution. Here the finger is the brush. The walls are washed with earth and cow dung and are allowed to dry. Then paintings are done on it. These absorb the moisture from the diluted rice paste, leaving the designs intact. But muruja includes a variety of materials in powder form. Normally five colours are in use. White is made out of powdered rice or white chalkstone. Black colour is obtained from the burnt and powdered coconut shells. Yellow colour is obtained from turmeric powder. Green is made from dried and powdered leaves of trees. Red colour is obtained from powdered brick. Muruja is generally painted on the ground as per designs, using various colours.

During the sacred month of Kartika, in each home the picture is drawn. Muruja is sprinkled on the ground with the help of only two fingers of the right- hand.

Related posts:

  1. Alpana
  2. Alpana Rangoli Designs - Designs of Alpana
  3. Folk Dances Of Orissa – Traditional Dances Of Orissa
  4. Tribal Paintings of Orissa
  5. ORISSA SCULPTURE
  6. ORISSA HANDLOOM
  7. Art of Painting during the Sultanate and the Mughal Rule
  8. History of Odisha (Orissa)
  9. Important Festivals Of Orissa (Odisha)

Category: Art of Orissa, Orissa




Related Posts

  1. Alpana
  2. Alpana Rangoli Designs - Designs of Alpana
  3. Folk Dances Of Orissa – Traditional Dances Of Orissa
  4. Tribal Paintings of Orissa
  5. ORISSA SCULPTURE
  6. ORISSA HANDLOOM
  7. Art of Painting during the Sultanate and the Mughal Rule
  8. History of Odisha (Orissa)
  9. Important Festivals Of Orissa (Odisha)

Search ImportantIndia.com

Tag Cloud

Women In India Tribal People of India Tradition Tourism Short Moral Stories for Children Science and Technology Rivers in India Pollution Minerals in India Maratha Empire Mahatma Gandhi Indian Festivals Indian Constitution History of Sher Shah Suri History of Akbar Freedom Fighters of India Family System Education Ecosystem Communication Climate of India Buddhism Battles and Wars in India Art and Architecture Agriculture in India

Categories

Archives

  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • Categories
  • History of India
    • History of Ancient India
    • History of Medieval India
    • History of Mughal Empire
    • Modern History of India
  • Important India
    • Administration in India
    • Indian Constitution
    • Parliament of India
  • Indian Geography
  • Indian Government
  • Indian Literature
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Report an Article
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Copyrights.

Copyright 2013 -2017 · Discover the Importance of India ·