Enchanting folk painting of Orissa, Pattachitra is one of the popular schools of Indian paintings. Every year on the Full moon day of Jyestha month of the Hindu calendar, Gods of Jagannath temple that is Lord Jagannath, brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra have a ritual bath. After which, it is said that the Gods fall ill for 15 days.  During these 15 days which is also known as Anasar, the Gods rest and the devotees can’t have the darshan of the deities. In the Ansar period, devotees worship the paintings of their Gods which are hung in the temple as substitutes. The paintings of Lord Jagannath, brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra are made on cloth in black, white and yellow colors respectively.  These paintings are called Anasar patti and are made by the chitrakars. Since the paintings are made on cloth which in local language is called patta, the painting is called pattachitra which means painting on cloth.  Pattachitra is linked to Lord Jagannath temple, Puri and hence it is believed that painting is as old as the temple which dates back to 12th century.

Due to its origin, the main theme of the Pattachitra is the Jagannath temple and the Gods of Jagannath temple. The other themes around which the paintings are made are Radha Krishna, scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu and Panchamukhi (Five headed) Lord Ganesh.  Long beaked nose, vibrant colors and ornate border characterize the Pattachitra paintings. Red, white, yellow, blue, black and green are the prominent colors that are used in these paintings. Colors are mostly obtained from natural resources. Powder of the conch shells make for white color.  A stone called haritala is used for yellow and indigo for blue. Black is obtained by burning the coconut shells or from the lamp black. Red oxide stone is used for red color. Chitrakars make abundant use of the available natural resources so much so that they use coconut shells to keep the colors.

Making of canvas Patta is an interesting procedure involving two layers of cloth that are bound together using tamarind paste. Tamarind seeds that are soaked in water for three days are then crushed and heated in an earthen pot with water to form a paste. After binding, it is coated with soft clay stone powder for firmness. Finally the patta is polished with stone or wood to give a smooth finish. The patta is now ready for painting on which the chitrakars start the painting by drawing the sketches.  Rat hair are used for making brushes that are used to draw thin lines while the buffalo hair for thick lines.

Earlier, men had monopoly in the field of Pattachitra painting. Today even women have involved themselves in the painting. The chitrakars belong to the heritage village of Raghurajpur. There is an artist in every house and every house is a studio in this village. Apart from the Pattachitra, Chitrakars also display their craftsmanship on Wall hangings, Gangifa(circular playing cards), Palm leaves which is known as Tala Patra Chitra or Pothi Chitra and on walls known as Bhitti Chitra.  Medium of painting may differ but the chitrakars who have inherited the art from generations, have managed to keep the true essence of Pattachitra intact. Number of art schools that are mushrooming in the state indicates the popularity of the art which is appreciated by people in India and abroad.