Indian Folk Art Paintings

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Beautiful image of the Goddess Durga is being given a refine and colourful depiction in the Pata painting. Once one demon named Mahishasur wrought havoc on Heaven with his supernatural powers. So in order to get rid of the demon, the gods and goddesses created Durga specially to kill the demon. They gave all their energies to her and she ultimately managed to kill the demon. The painting shows the goddess killing the demon with her weapon. She represents the triumph of the good over the evil. The painting reveals some spectacular designs on it.

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The spectacular Pata painting depicts the ferocious goddess Kali with some beautiful lines and carvings. On her two hands, the goddess is carrying different weapons and she is also carrying a beheaded figure seeping blood from it. The Goddess is depicted trampling over sleeping Shiva. The borders of the painting are nicely painted with natural colours and the background is quite attractive. Goddess Kali is a popular goddess especially in Bengal and it is believed that worshipping her helps us get rid of the evil forces.

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The spectacular Pata painting depicts the existense of dual aspects in us: both feminine and masculine. In this beautiful Pata painting the God is depicted both masculine and feminine form. The concept of Ardhanariswar form of Lord Shiva shows the duality of existence in human being. Both the forces must come together for creation to take place. Patachitra, a spectacular painting in Orissa, was born out of the cult of God Jagannath, the presiding deity of Orissa temple. Spectacular pictorial conceptions, characteristic conventions and vibrant color patterns make the Patachitra a unique treasure in the rich coffer of Indian ethnic art. Primarily executed on cloth, using natural colors, these ethnic paintings have charmed admirers across the globe.

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The Four handed God of dance is painted in his rhythmic motion. The Lord Shiva is one of the Trinity Gods in Hinduism and is responsible for destruction. The dancing form of Lord Shiva is a symbolic synthesis of the most important aspects of Hinduism, and the summary of the central tenets of the religion. The Lord is the King of Dancers and it is perfect image of the activity of God. In a unified and dynamic composition expressing the rhythm and harmony of life, Lord Shiva is shown with four hands represent the four cardinal directions. He is dancing, with his left foot elegantly raised and the right foot on a prostrate figure. The upper left hand holds a flame, the lower left hand points down to the dwarf, who is shown holding a cobra. The upper right hand holds an hourglass drum that stands for the male-female vital principle, the lower shows the gesture of assertion. Snakes that stand for egotism are seen uncoiling from his arms, legs, and hair, which is braided and bejewelled. His matted locks are whirling as he dances within an arch of flames representing the endless cycle of birth and death. On his head is a skull, symbolic of his conquest over death.

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An epitome of tremendous force and energy, the female goddess Mahakali is being depicted dancing over the sleeping Shiva. The Goddess is wearing the garlands of human skulls and her black figure and the bulging lip show an element of awe and ferocity. The sleeping Shiva symbolizes ignorance as surrounds our life. Her body is painted black and every part of the body is being given a detail and refine treatment. She represents the darker side of human beings and worshipping her protects us from the evil forces. The painting has some spectacular floral designs on it. There is an interesting story about how Shiva stops Kali from her frenzy. In Kali's most famous myth, Durga and her assistants, the Matrkas, wound the demon Raktabija. But with every blood that is spilt from Raktabija, the demon reproduces a copy of himself. The battlefield becomes increasingly filled with his duplicates. Durga, in dire need of help, summons Kali to combat the demons. Kali destroys Raktabija by suckling the blood from his body and putting the many Raktabija duplicates in her gaping mouth. An overjoyed Kali starts dancing on the battlefield, stepping on the corpses of the slain. Her consort Shiva lies among the dead beneath her feet. Kali, becoming drunk on the blood of her victims on the battlefield, dances with destructive frenzy. In her fury she fails to see the body of her husband Shiva who lies among the corpses on the battlefield. Ultimately the cries of Shiva attract Kali's attention, calming her fury. As a sign of her shame at having disrespected her husband in such a fashion, Kali sticks out her tongue and stops her frenzy.

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Patachitra is a popular style of painting in Orissa. In this spectacular painting, Lord Vishnu is painted as Matsya. The Puranas speak of the ten avataars of Vishnu.
According to Puranas, before the creation of the universe, the four Vedas (the holy books delivered from the mouth of the Supreme-God) remained drowned in deep waters. It was necessary to get hold of them to instruct Brahma about the work of Creation. Vishnu was therefore appointed to bring up the Vedas from the deep, so he took the form of a fish, Matsya, to descend into the waters and rescue the sacred books.
Lord Vishnu asked a sage to collect samples of all species and wait in a boat. The golden fish then dragged the boat through the great flood and enabled Brahma to start creation again.
According to another legend, a demon once stole the four Vedas and hid them under the sea. Vishnu assumed the Matsya incarnation and retrieved the Vedas back and then restored them to their original fragrance.
Lord Vishnu, one of the Trinity Gods in Hinduism, is responsible for the preservation of the universe. In order to preserve the universe from any impending catastrophe, He took various incarnations. These incarnations detail the divine help extended by Lord Vishnu during various stages of human evolution, by appearing on earth in different forms. These incarnations are said to demonstrate that divinity re-establishes Dharma or righteousness and destroys injustice from time to time, by appearing on earth in various incarnations.

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He is playing his flute behind the tree as the cow grazes. In His incarnation as Krishna, Lord Vishnu destroyed a number of demons employed to eliminate child Krishna. He killed Kansa, the notorious tyranny ruler, who was also Krishna's maternal uncle. Lord Vishnu, one of the Trinity Gods in Hinduism, is responsible for the preservation of the universe. In order to preserve the universe from any impending catastrophe, He took various incarnations. These incarnations detail the divine help extended by Lord Vishnu during various stages of human evolution, by appearing on earth in different forms. These incarnations are said to demonstrate that divinity re-establishes Dharma or righteousness and destroys injustice from time to time, by appearing on earth in various incarnations.

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Lord Vishnu, one of the Trinity Gods in Hinduism, is responsible for the preservation of the universe. In order to preserve the universe from any impending catastrophe, He took various incarnations. These incarnations detail the divine help extended by Lord Vishnu during various stages of human evolution, by appearing on earth in different forms. These incarnations are said to demonstrate that divinity re-establishes Dharma or righteousness and destroys injustice from time to time, by appearing on earth in various incarnations. In this spectacular Pata painting the Lord is taking the form of Kalki, his tenth incarnation, that is yet to happen. It is believed that he would come on a horseback and will rescue the people from great deluge.

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The beautiful Patachitra painting of Lord Buddha, the Apostle of Non-violence and Truth, is given a refine and elegant touch. He is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, one of the Trinity Gods in Hinduism and is held in high esteem. Gautam Buddha gave up the lap of luxury and after a severe penance could find out the Absolute Truth. He found a panacea for all worldly ills. Here he is wearing a white drapery. Patachitra is a popular genre of ethnic painting in Orissa and was born out of the cult of God Jagannath, the presiding deity of Orissa temple. Spectacular pictorial conceptions, characteristic conventions and vibrant color patterns make the Patachitra a unique treasure in the rich coffer of Indian ethnic art. Primarily executed on cloth, using natural colors, these ethnic paintings have charmed admirers across the globe.

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In this spectacular Pata painting, Lord Parashuram, the sixth avatar of Vishnu, is moving forward with his axe. Parashurama was a Brahmin who belongs to the Treta Yuga, and is the son of great sage Jamadagni and Renuka. Parashu means axe, hence his name literally means Rama-of-the-axe. He received an axe after undertaking a rigorous penance to please Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva gave him the methods of warfare. A powerful Kshatriya king named Kaarthaveeryarjuna, who had 21 sons. The King once visited the ashram of Jamadagni, with his sons and soldiers. Jamadagni arranged food for the king and his soldiers. A divine cow helped Jamadagni for all these arrangements. Impressed much with his food, the king inquired about the cow. The sage told him that the divine cow, could give anything. The greedy king forced Jamadagni to give it to him. And had taken the divine cow by force. Once Parashurama was back, he went to the kings place and killed Karthaveeryarjuna. Finding the king being killed by Lord Parashurama, the kings sons had returned to the place of Jamadagni and killed the sage Jamadagni. After Parashurama returned to the ashram, his mother renuka has cried a lot saying his father had been killed. Lord Parashurama has attacked 21 times and killed the 21 sons of the king,and many many soldiers,with battles after battles,to kill many kshatriyas on the earth whose blood began to flow like a great river. For killing all the kshatriyas Lord Parashurama was associated with sins and had visited many temples and removed all his sins.

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In this fabulous Pata painting, the four-handed ferocious Goddess is painted trampling over Lord Shiva, who is sleeping. She is the destroyer the evil forces. She is wearing a garland of beheaded skulls and blood is dripping from her bulging tongue. She is painted black and a sense of awe is manifest here. Patachitra is a popular genre of ethnic painting in Orissa and was born out of the cult of God Jagannath, the presiding deity of Orissa temple. Spectacular pictorial conceptions, characteristic conventions and vibrant color patterns make the Patachitra a unique treasure in the rich coffer of Indian ethnic art. Primarily executed on cloth, using natural colors, these ethnic paintings have charmed admirers across the globe.

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Sati, meaning `true` was one of the daughters of Daksha. Sati is a Hindu goddess of marital felicity and long life and is worshipped by all Hindu women for the long life of their husbands. Sati is the first consort of Lord Shiva and his second wife is Parvati, the incarnation of Sati. In the Puranas it is mentioned that Sati lures Shiva from leading a lonely life into creative involvement in the world. Sati or Dakshayani is also known as Uma, Aparna and Sivakamini. She was named Gauri for her fair and golden complexion. She is also known as Dakshayani for being the daughter of Daksha. To win the heart of Lord Shiva, Sati abandoned the lap of royal luxury and went to the forest, where she devoted herself to austerities and the worship of Shiva. After a long time of rigorous penance, Shiva was finally pleased with Sati`s devotion and married her much against the wishes of Daksha. Daksha being an arrogant king cut off all his relations with Sati and deprived her from his family. Later, Daksha once organized a huge Yajna to which all the Gods were invited, except Sati and Shiva. Sati went to the Yagnya against the wishes of Lord Shiva. Shiva then provided her with a guide to attend the Yajna. Sati was greeted coldly by her father Daksha. They were soon in the midst of a heated argument about the demerits of Shiva. Daksha criticized Shiva in the face of all gods. Sati could not stand such abuse and she immolated herself. When Lord Shiva came to know about this devastation, he was furious. He created Virabhadra and Bhadrakali, two fierce creatures who wreaked chaos and disorder in the Yajna area. Everyone present in the Yajna along with Daksha was terrified. An enraged Lord Shiva performed the fearsome Tandava dance with Sati`s charred body on his shoulders. During this dance, Sati`s body came apart and fell into pieces at different places on earth and these places came to be famous pilgrimage sites for Hindus.

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Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, is given here a vivid depiction with some spectacular lines and colour patterns. Lord Ganesha is one of the most revered gods in Hinduism and is worshipped at the beginning of any ceremony. As the remover of obstacles, he is one of the most benevolent gods in Hinduism.

One of the most cherished forms of paintings in India, Patachitra is centred on the State of Orissa. The master painter has come out with a classic painting of Lord Balaram, one of the key figures in the ratha yatra, in a most brilliant form. Using pigment and watercolours, he has made the superb painting in tussar silk and has given a perfect finishing touch. Indeed a collector's choice. The prominence of variegated colours, the lies have given the painting a masterly appearance.

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Hanuman’s devotion to the Lord Rama, Sita’s love for Rama, and the popularity that the King had in his state all has been given a vivid picturisatsation by the artists. Vibrant colours, strong lines, naturtal dyes are the basic features of the Patachitra paintings of Orissa that normally paint the mythological figures of Hinduism. Mainly made on silk or on old cotton glued with paper, the artists use a mixture of chalk and tamarind seed paste to give the surface a leather like texture. The figures have been arduously painted giving each and every one equal treatment.

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This patachitra painting from Orissa stands out to be a unique creation in itself as the fantastic pictorial conceptions, the idiosyncratic conventions, the extraordinary system of line formations and vibrant use of colours have given this painting based on a theme of the epic Ramayan a bright efflorescence. The uniqueness of this school of painting was derived from some primitive forms of aboriginal art from Orissa or its neighbouring states. While the demons have been painted blue and black the banar sena (monkey soldiers) have been treated with yellow colours.A beautiful tradition of painting from Orissa, the process of preparing the canvas (Pata) is onerous and involves the preparation of a tamarind seed paste, mixed with water in an earthen pot and subjected to further treatment. When the canvas is dry, it is polished, a process that takes several hours. Once it is dry, the paintings ('chitrakarita') begin. A border is drawn around the pata. Then the outlines of the figures are drawn in white pigment. Next the background between the border and the figure or figures is painted in a solid colour, that are either natural or organic. Later, fine decorations are added to the picture. The painting is finished with a protective coating.

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The spectacular Kalamkari painting depicts the Lord of Wisdom and the Remover of Obstacles in a most attractive manner. Kalamkari is a popular form of painting in India and as the name suggests, Kalamkari is the art of painting cotton fabrics with a kalam i.e. pen. A sharp-pierced bamboo regulates flow of colour on the fabric at time of creating the painting. The popularity of this genre of art crossed the shores of the country during the 17th and 18th centuries. Kalahasti and Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, the main centres of this art continue to be beehives of Kalamkari activity. Kalamkari colours are made from vegetable dyes.

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The ten avatars of Lord Vishnu get a vivid depiction in the Kalamkari painting. Lord Vishnu, the master of the Universe comes to the world in different forms to rescue his devotees from the evils. His ten incarnations include Matsya- the fish, Kurma-the tortoise, Varaha-the boar, Narasimha-the man-lion, Vamana-the dwarf brahman, Parasurama-the axe wielder, Rama-the bow wielder, Balarama-the plough wielder, Krishna- the complete Avatara and Kalki, who is yet to come.The use of natural dyes makes the painting a quite impressive one. The artists use natural colours instead of artificial colours in the Kalamkari paintings and this makes this type of painting the distinct one.

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The rhythmic motion of dance is being nicely painted in the Kalamkari painting in which Lord Shiva is shown dancing over the human figure. The painting is a symbolic of his conquest over ignorance and the dancing posture shows the rhythmic motion of life. The bull represents both power and ignorance. Lord Shiva’s use of the bull as his vehicle expresses the idea that He removes ignorance and bequeaths power of wisdom on His followers. Lord Shiva is one of the Trinity (Brahma and Vishnu being the other ones), and he is responsible for the preservation of the cosmic order.

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