Raghurajpur the Crafts Village

Orissa Review * November - 2004 Raghurajpur The Crafts Village Raghurajpur, a small village in Puri district, It has its own identity. What is unusual is the occupies a unique place in the cultural map of number of outsiders including foreigners India. The village is inhabited by artisans visiting the village round the year. These people producing sheer poetry on pieces of treated don't come here to see a typical Orissan village cloth, dried palm leaf or paper. from close quarters but to see and enjoy the rich traditions of Orissan arts and crafts at one Situated on the southern bank of river place. The village has a community of artisans, Bhargavi and surrounded by coconut, palm, who produce different varieties of handicrafts mango, jackfruit groves and other tropical trees, items such as patta paintings, palm leaf Raghurajpur has an idyllic setting. A number engravings, stone carvings, papier mache toys of betel vines dot the nearby paddy fields. The and masks, wood carvings, wooden toys, cow- village runs from east to west with houses dung toys and tusser paintings. Perhaps arranged in two neat rows, facing each other. nowhere else in India one finds such a At the centre, runs a line of small temples and congregation of so many arts at one place. This the lone Bhagabat Tungi, the community is also the only village in India, where each meeting place of the villagers. The temples are family is engaged in one craft or another. There dedicated to the lords, Radha Mohan, are has 103 households having 311 artisans in Gopinath, Raghunath, Laxminarayan, the village. Some of them are winners of Gouranga, and to the village goddess, National Awards. One comes across the best Bhuasuni. tradition of Orissan paintings and some of the To reach Raghurajpur one has to get finest pieces of work in this village. down at Chandanpur bus stop, which is about The tradition of pata painting in Orissa 10 km from Puri and 50 km from Bhubaneswar is very old. There are several centres of this on N.H.No.203 connecting Puri and art : Puri, Parlakhemundi, Champamal Bhubaneswar, two important tourist (Sonepur), Athgarh and Dinabandhupur destinations of the country. From Chandanpur (Dhenkanal). Usually, the lane in which these one has to take a cycle-rickshaw or walk on a painters or chitrakaras live is called Chitrakar 1.3 km scenic road to reach this village. One Sahi. Although there are several centres of pata may also hire a taxi either from Puri or from paintings in Orissa, it is Raghurajpur, which is Bhubaneswar to reach the village. famous for this unique art. This coconut-palm shaded village is Chitrakaras are involved with the ritual quite different from other villages of the State. performed in the temple of Lord Jagannatha 52 Orissa Review * November - 2004 on the occasion of Snana Purnima in the lunar To give this village its rightful place both month of Jyestha (May-June). During the period in the cultural and tourist maps of the country, of anasara, the fortnight following the fullmoon Orissa Tourism and Ministry of Tourism, day, three patis painted by chitrakaras are Government of India have identified this placed on the sighasana inside the main temple. village for development of Rural Tourism. The chitrakaras are also called to execute After visiting Raghurajpur on June 27, 2002, colourful paintings on the three chariots for the Shri Jagmohan, Hon'ble Union Minister of Car Festival. Apart from taking part in the Tourism and Culture, declared that this village rituals, they also produce paintings which they would be developed as a model for rural sell at Bedha Mahal inside the temple premises tourism in India. INTACH is preparing the and Chakada Mahal outside the main gate. Project Report for this village, which would However, with the entry of middle man to this be implemented shortly. Basic tourist amenities business the chitrakaras suffered. At the such as road, drinking water, sanitation, beginning of the 20th century their fortunes interpretation centre, rest house, etc. would dwindled. The art received a new lease of life come up soon. in the mid-century. Ileana Citaristi, an Italian Government of Orissa is taking lady who has done extensive research on initiatives to develop the roads from Orissan art and culture, observes, "By the late Chandanpur and Kathapola to Raghurajpur and fifties only a few old men among the 90- odd is urging the UNICEF to provide clean water chitrakara families of Raghurajpur were still to the village. To achieve this task, various painting, whereas all the youths had deserted Departments of Government of Orissa are the profession; it was only around the year 1953 converging their resources. that, with the intervention of an American lady, Mrs Halina Zealey, a new future opened up Once the Rural Tourism Project is and the artists once again took out their brushes completed, Raghurajpur will come in the and colours." National Travel Circuit of the Government of India. Besides producing these unique works of art, this village has a living tradition of References : performing art known as Gotipua, the earlier 1. "A Destination in the Making." Orissa form of Odissi. A worthy son of Orissa, Guru Review, September 2002. Kelu Charan Mohapatra, an exponent of Odissi dance, was born in this village and had his 2. Citaristi, Eleana. The making of a Guru : Kelu early trainings in Gotipua tradition here. Now Charan Mohapatra, His Life and Times a Gotipua Gurukul, namely Maa Dasabhuja (Delhi : Manohar 2001). Gotipua Odissi Dance School has been 3. Mohanty, B. Pata-Paintings of Orissa, New established here under the guidance of Guru Delhi : Publications Division, Government of Maguni Charan Das. The trainees of this school India, 1984. present their performances in different cultural events, in India and abroad. INTACH selected this village to revive the ancient wall paintings of Orissa. The work has already been completed and now the village Acknowledgement : looks like a living museum of paintings. P.K. Jena, Tourism Department, Orissa, Bhubaneswar. 53.

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