Orissa .... Paradise of art and craft

Orissa, Utkala , kalinga and also "land of arts and crafts" . These are all the identity of Orissa. Extremely rich tradition and amazing art, craft and culture of Orissa has made this state worldwide unique... matchless . The artistic skill of the Orissan artists are unsurpassable in the world. This title that is apt even today because, one can see a variety of very distinctive arts and crafts representation almost in every nook and corner of Orissa. Due to the reigns of many different rulers in the past, the culture, arts and crafts of the state underwent many changes, imitations, assimilations and new creations . The discovery that traditional artists still live and work throughout Orissa, producing various objects and excites lakhs of tourists.

Stone carving :
Stone sings...dances....and defines. Because stone have life.... stone feels... speaks also . And this is the tremendous creativity of Orissan craftmanship , which has been proved for generation . carvings on the several temples. monuments throughout Orissa are the unspoken example of oriyan stone carve. All these has been refelct for years in stone figures of Gods and Goddess, miniature temple invitations and several lifestyle related items. It is also evident from the innumerable archaeological monuments, rock-cut sculptures, caves and temples built for centuries and embellished with most beautiful and intricately carved statue and other adornments. Bhubaneshwar, Puri and Konark still inspire the modern craftsmen. These sculptures find their way in to intricate carvings on soapstone, stones, hard Conchilla etc. Similarly in Puri, Kichhing and several part of Orissa, one can find numerous items carved on stones, like jewellery boxes, figures of Gods and Goddess, small boxes, trays etc. Designs on them with the use of fine silver wire, colored stones and even jali- work are used on the stone items.

Silver Filigree :
Orissa has a distinction for its exquisite silver filigree work. This work is popularly known as Tarakasi in oriya language. The thousand year old city cuttack is famous for this filigree and widely known as Silver city of India. It is an intricate process being processed by specialised artisan of the trade.Silver is melted in a mould and poured into a narrow tray, beaten on an anvil and elongated into a tar or a hair like wire by passing it through a steel plate wire gauge. then the two thin wire are welded together , pressed and flatened till they look like one wire.Then it is bent to various shape. Silver wires, extremely delicate, are shaped into intricate designs. Forms of animals and birds, articles of daily use like vermilion receptacles are also made out of silver wires- Filigree ornaments.

Wood carving :
Wood carving of Orissa are also very popular. It has a very unique style which is different form products of other states. Various items of wood, intricately carved with inlay work are a favorite with the Orissa artisans. Replica of Lord Jagganath temple and Rath Yatra, animals, birds, temples, Gods and Goddess are common themes made in wood. Exotic ivory inlay work has now been replaced by plastic. Colorful ‘Paper-mache', masks of deities and animals are a favorite item made by the craftsman and find a good market in both Indian and foreign buyers.

Metal work :
This is an alloy of tin and copper . Though it is widely known as metal work,in some part of Orissa this item is called Dhokra. Various items of brassware and bell metal like utensils etc. is easily available in Orissa . Boxes, vases, decorative plates etc. made of metals are also available. Items made by tribals by their unique metal casting method called the dokra style also easily available in some parts of Orissa.

Paintings :
Orissa has an age old tradition of Painting which stretches from the prehistoric rock shelters to the temples and various mathas . Out of these the traditional painters , the tribal painter , the folk and rock painters are of significance. It is also says that the painting of Orissa is as old as its sculpture. Here the painters of Orissa produce fine murals for temples and manuscripts on paper and palm leaf. The "Patta Chitras" made by painters from Raghurajpur village near Puri is famous. In such paintings a specially prepared cloth is coated with earth to stiffen it and finally coated with lacquer after painting, to give it a sheen and a protective coating from the vagaries of nature. Attractive playing cards are also made by the above method. Cheap mementos to suit each pocket are made by the artisans for economic reasons, which are crude. The best painters get an opportunity to paint the Puri temple and deities and their "Cars" each year. The painters look forward to this honor of painting the temple and the ‘Rath’ or cars each year.

Patta Chitra :
Besides mural paintings, there is miniature paintings which is called patta chitra . 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" , Krushna lila are some of the recurring themes of Patta art. Near Puri the pattachitra artists mostly live in the village Raghuraj pur popularly known as craft village.

Sand Arts :
Creating excellent art and magnificient sculpture in using sand is called sand art. 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 by the magic of fingures , an artist can carve a beautiful and attractive sculpture on the beach. The theme of this art may be contemporary or traditional.In Orissa ,this unique type of art form is well developed at Puri which spreads all over the world .