pata chitra (Painting)

Puri for centuries has been a seaside resort for Bengali tourists and also the centre for the popular north Eastern Hindu Vaishnavite god, Jagannath. It has thousands of visitors each year. Low caste Hindu painters, adjacent to the Jagannath Temple, produce these paintings which traditionally appealed mostly to pilgrims but now are usually purchased by tourists. Paintings deal with a variety of Saivite and Vaishnavite themes. Although it developed in conjunction with and was influenced by iconographical and stylistic developments of art of the classical kingdoms, the folk style of painting was exemplified by Puri painters (and also in Bengal and Bihar) as having a short and continuing unique tradition of its own.

devotional aid and souvenir

Depicts predominately Vaishnavite figure of monkey god, Hanuman, symbol of devotion and loyalty.

Small, rectangular shaped painting of a monkey leaping from building to building, represented by arches and towers. Monkey or Hanuman is bright yellow wearing green garments with elaborate ornamentation. Double bordered floral design around edges of painting. Orange background sprinkled with small white dots. Image bordered by a white band with black detailing followed by a green band with yellow and white floral design; orange around the edge.