Orissa Review November - 2011

Patta Painting : A Bird’s Eye View of Orissan Art

Dr. Jyotirmati Samantaray

India is a country where there is unity of culture and art. There are five successive types of art subject to different influences serving different society (1) in the Indus Valley, the rather sober and realistic, well regulated art of a predominantly mercantile society (2) Indian Period : an art full of joy of life (3) in the middle ages, a consciously traditional art (4) in the Indo-Islamic period on one side Muslim art on the other hand Hindu Art (5) Modern . Handicrafts is an important part of our rich cultural heritage. Handicrafts fulfills a positive physical need in the daily requirements of the people. The distinguishing attribute of handicrafts is beauty. It is the craft of the people. The various pieces of handicrafts, whether metalware, pottery or wood work clearly indicate that these are made to secure a positive need in the daily life of the people. very old practice in . Patta has been derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Patta’. Monier Williams, From the ancient time painting in Orissa Thumband Pickerny interpret Pattas (woven was prevalent and it had its own peculiarity with cloth), Edgerton says that, both ‘Pata’ and ‘Patta’ the regional painting. Three different cultural trades mean cloth. have been amalgamated in Orissa, such as Savara, Dravidian and Aryan culture. Use of ‘Patta’ or cloth is a material for painting in Bengal. The Stone plaques of the Jains ‘Pattachitra’ is one amongst the special are called Ayaga Patta. The paintings on type of Orissan Paintings. Pattachitra (Patta perforated leather in South India is called ‘Chama painting) or Painting on Patta (Pati) or Patta is a Painting’. In U.P., Maharashtra and other places

58 November - 2011 Orissa Review a kind of rolled illuminated horoscope goes by Orissa “Patachitra” is done on Pata, a special type the name of ‘Rashi Path’. The strips of the coloured of handmade canvas prepared by pasting together cloth wrapped round Lord , Balabhadra layers of cloth or directly on the wooden surface. and are known as Netrapata. The ‘Pattas’ are in different style and In the ‘Patta’ painting, themes like technique. A thinly woven cotton cloth is used for “ Lila” and Ramayan and messages like the base. This is prepared by coat it with a paste legends centering round Sri Jagannath are of chalk, gum and tamurind seed, which gives the depicted. Different aspects of Orissan Patta cloth a leathery surface as the base to paint on. Paintings are - For the large size paintings three layers are gummed together. (a) The types of colours and dyes utilized in Patta or mural paintings are very important. Only Patta painting plays a major role in the vegetative and natural dyes have been utilized in rituals of Jagannath temple of Puri. The traditional depicting these paintings. ‘Pata Painting’ of the Jagannath temple is connected with the holy place. The painters are (b) Nature as well as animals and birds engaged on hereditary basis by the temple and present in patta paintings is an interesting aspect. are known as Sevakas. Treatment of nature such as creepers, forests, the floral decorations, vegetations are the characters These Patta paintings have three basic which require detailed studies. perspectives (1) the most important is the temple art or art of the Jagannath Temple (2) less (c) The Orissan Paintings depict the lifestyle significant is the court art or art of the Jagannath of Orissa people, their customs and traditions. temple (3) a mere generalized nature in the art of (d) While looking into the Patta Painting the the society - mostly opposed to temple art. treatment of palm leaves or the canvas are Patta painting plays a major role in shaping available in separate sheets which relate a and nurturing the artistic sensibility of people. It continuous story in picture. carves an higher niche, in cultural tradition not only (e) In the process of studying the Orissan in India but also in foreign countries. painting it will be possible to find out some of the landmarks in the history and culture of the state.

(f) The paintings available inside the “Natamandap” in Puri temple show variety of deities. Dr. Jyotirmati Samantaray, Asst. Information Officer, In the context of the Orissan ‘Patta’ the Information & Public Relations Department, word ‘Pata’ or ‘Patta’ has special significance. In Bhubaneswar.

Fear is the mother of morality. – Friedrich Neitzsche

59 Orissa Review November - 2011

Satrughnesvara Group of Temples : A Study on its Architecture

Anjaliprava Sahoo

Satrughnesvara group of temples locally known preservation and this helps us in getting an idea from north to south as the Laksmanesvara, the about the architectural peculiarities of this group Bharatesvara and the Satrughnesvara1 carry the of temples.3 earliest known evidence of Kalinga temple style Legends architecture. The three temples standing in a row are opposite to the much later Ramesvara temple The legend of these temples is associated by the side of the road leading to the Lingaraja with , Lakshmana, and Satrughna, temple2 from the Railway Station. These are the four legendary brothers of the epic . located in between the Old The legend is like this: after town of Bhubaneswar and the killing , the demon king new capital. of Lanka, Rama with his wife and brother Lakshmana These temples are living returned to Ayodhya. In his temples and the presiding deity coronation ceremony, he was is Lord Siva. The Siva-linga in the Laksmanesvara temple is advised by the Rajaguru to worship Lord Siva within a square arghapatta for the peace and prosperity of while in the Bharatesvara and the Satrughnesvara, the Lingas the city. Rama chosed this place are within circular Yonipithas. for the purpose and with his These three temples are facing three brothers installed the towards the west. Lingas and worshipped Lord Siva for which these temples are The temples, a heap of known as Ramesvara, rubble earlier are currently being Lakshmanesvara, Bharatesvara renovated by the State and Satrughnesvara according Archaeology Department. Of these, the to the name of these legendary brothers. Laksmanesvara temple is now without its facing stones and the crowning members. The core of Lakshmanesvara Temple the middle one, the Bharatesvara has been The northern-most temple of the group, the covered by the plain blocks of stone at the time Lakshmanesvara is now partially reconstructed of restoration. The southern most one, the but without all original and facing stone.4 Satrughnesvara is comparatively in good state of Only the core of the original spire or Gandi remains

60 November - 2011 Orissa Review with the corbelled arch above the doorframe front of these temples and therefore we are not in revealed as a chasm.5 Therefore it is difficult to a position to verify whether there actually exists a form a complete idea about the architectural and plinth.14 6 sculptural peculiarities of this temple. The tower The Vimana of the temple consists of three above the roof of the Garbhagriha is a hollow principal parts-the Bada, the Gandi and the pyramid tapering upwards to form a solid block Mastaka each of which is subdivided into further at the top. The inner face of the core is smooth architectural components.15 whereas the outer face, before reconstruction, showed indentations which together with iron Bada clamps were used for interlocking the sculptured The three temples are Tri-ratha in plan with 7 stones forming the outer face of the temple. three Pagas projecting out from the wall on each Bharatesvara Temple side of the Deula. The larger center Paga known as Raha, is designed as a miniature Rekha shrine The middle temple of the group, the truncated above the first Bhumi with its niche Bharatesvara has even less sculpture remaining 8 cutting through the Pabhaga. The Raha niches are on its wall than Lakshmanesvara. This temple is now empty where as several of the niches of the restored with the addition of several hundred plain subsidiary Pagas till retain their original sculpture.16 blocks of stone.9 The only sculpture of importance appears on the western portal where the jambs Along the vertical plane the Bada is are decorated with ornate scrollwork and divided into three principal parts, the Pabhaga, Dvarapalas. The lintel above the doorway is Jangha and kanthi.17 The Pabhaga consists of decorated with a frieze depicting the capture of three horizontal mouldings and measures 41 wild elephants, a popular motif on the early inches in height. The lower moulding the hoof- temples of Orissa.10 shaped Khura, and the middle torus with a semi- circular profile, are devoid of decoration. The top Satrughnesvara Temple moulding, in the shape of a Khura, is decorated The southern-most temple of the group, the with ornamental scrollwork on its projecting edge Satrughnesvara, is the most complete, though at the base and lotus designs, chaitya-medallions, greatly restored with modern materials, and gives animals and human figures, often engaged in us some idea of the original decorative battle, on its sloping upper face.18 programme of these earliest temples. It thus will The Jangha is 82 ½ inches in height and be used as the model in discussing the decorative 11 consists of six courses of stone. Projecting out features of these temples as a group. from the lower course, beneath the niche of the Architectural Features subsidiary Pagas, is a tala-bandhana consisting These three temples consist of a square of row of metope-like blocks. These projecting Vimana or tower of Rekha order of early Kalingan blocks are carved with lions, elephants, monkeys, human figures and Mithuna motifs. Some of the style which rises straight from the ground.12 There blocks were left unfinished with merely the outlines seems little doubt that each was originally fronted 19 by a Mukhasala. K.C. Panigrahi, who was of the motifs indicated. connected with the restoration, tells categorically The Kanthi, the uppermost horizontal that there was a rectangular plinth to the mouldings which demarcate the Bada from the Satrughnesvara,13 and today, the Archaeology Gandi, consists of three mouldings. The top and Department has developed a beautiful lawn in bottom mouldings project out from the facade

61 Orissa Review November - 2011 while the middle moulding is recessed. The lower moulding is similar to the top moulding of the Pabhaga with lotus designs, chaitya-medallions and human figures. The upper projecting moulding is decorated in a similar manner and forms the first Barandi of the lowest Bhumi of the Gandi. The recessed area is decorated with mythological narrative scenes, including the Marriage of Siva on the south and the Marriage Procession on the north side.20 Gandi The Gandi (spire) of the Satrughnesvara rises to a height of approximately 20 feet above References : ground level. The Kanika (corner) Paga is divided 1. T.E. Donaldson; Art of Orissa; Vol.I; into five Bhumis by Bhumi-amlas with each Bhumi 1985; p.31 being subdivided into four Bhumi-Barandis. The 2. N. Senapati (Ed.); Orissa District Gazetteers; Puri; centre Paga or Raha consists of the Barandis 1977; p.716 superimposed one above the other and decorated 3. A.N. Parida; Early Temples of Orissa, 1999; p.69 with triple chaitya-medallions. On the front facade, 4. T.E. Donaldson; op.cit; p.444 above the entrance to the sanctum, the motif is 5. Ibib; p.31 even larger and consists of two superimposed 6. A.N. Parida; op.cit; p.70 chaitya-medallions crowned by a Kirtimukha 7. T.E. Donaldson; op.cit; p.444 mask and a surmounting image of Lakulisa. The 8. Ibid; p.32 circular upper medallion houses a image 9. R.P. Mohapatra; Archaeology in Orissa; Vol.I; p.53 while the larger lower medallion, keyhole in shape, 10. T.E. Donaldson; op.cit; p.32 21 houses a Ravananugraha murtti. 11. Ibid. Mastaka 12. N. Senapati (Ed.); op.cit; p.71 13. V. Dhejia; Early Stone Temples of Orissa; 1979; The outline of the Gandi inclines gradually p.85; K.C. Panigrahi; Archaeological Remains at inward in a convex curve at the top where it is Bhubaneswar; 1961; p.53 crowned by the Mastaka. The Mastaka is 14. A.N. Parida; op.cit; p.70 composed of a Beki, Amlaka, Khapuri, and 15. R.P. Mohapatra; op.cit; p.52 Kalasa with surmounting Akasalinga finial. Here 16. T.E. Donaldson; op.cit; p.32 the Ayudha is absent which is found in most of 17. A.N. Parida; op.cit; p.72 the temples. 18. T.E. Donaldson; op.cit; p.32 Date of the Temple 19. Ibid; pp.32-33 20. Ibid; p.33 There is no authentic evidence regarding 21. Ibid; p.34 the construction period of the temples. Various dates have been ascribed by scholars to the group 22. A.N. Parida; op.cit; p.70 of these three temples. It is too difficult to suggest Anjaliprava Sahoo, Student, Department of Ancient a date for them. At best it can be said that they Indian History, Culture & Archaeology, Plot No.164, 1st belong to the seventh century A.D.22 Lane, Paika Nagar, Near Delta Chowk, Unit-8, BBSR-3.

62