Lord Brahma, The Creator of the universe

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Brahma is said to have been born from Vishnu's navel through the great lotus. In the beginning, after the Great Deluge, on the inspiration of Mahadevi Vishnu invoked his own creative powers and created earth in the form of lotus rising from his nave. Brahma is said to have emerged from this lotus. The lotus is thus his birth symbol. Brahma suffered from the passion to create. He hence devoted himself to rigorous penance for acquiring power to create. The pot, which the Brahma icon carries in its left hand, is the symbol of Earth, which Brahma created.

As has the 'Puranic' tradition, initially Brahma had only one head. In the course of creation he created by the power of his mind a number of sons. Alike, from his own half he created a maid. She was extremely beautiful and was hence named 'Shatarupa', the one who possessed a hundred beauties. Brahma wedded her. The passionate Brahma was so attached to her that he did not remove his eyes from her face even for a moment. One day the sportive Shatarupa, to cajole Brahma, began whirling around him. With his numerous sons scattered all around it was not graceful for him to move round with Shatarupa with his eyes fixed on her. He hence created on his neck four heads in all four directions. Shatarupa wished to tease him more. She flew into sky. Brahma then created a fifth head upon his matted hair. This fifth head was later destroyed by Shiva. On the strength of his five heads Brahma claimed superiority over Shiva. This enraged Shiva and he crushed Brahma's fifth head. In painted versions of Brahma he usually has all his heads bearded, which in metal cast has its own difficulty and hence in metal-cast his heads are usually without beard.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

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Mastering the Ancient Technique: Exploring the Meticulous Creation of Pattachitra Paintings

The traditional Pattachitra is a scroll painting that is done on cloth. This is revealed in the name; Pattachitra is a Sanskrit term made from two words i.e. Patta meaning cloth and Chitra meaning picture. The main subject of this painting is portraying Hindu mythological narratives, scenes from religious texts, and folktales. Pattachitra paintings are especially practiced in eastern Indian states such as West Bengal and Odisha, and also in some parts of Bangladesh. This art form is closely related to Shri Jagannath and the tradition of the Vaishnava sect. It is believed that Pattachitra art originated in the 11th century and the people of Odisha practice it even today without any discrepancy. Bengalis use these scroll paintings for ritual purposes (as a visual device) during the performance of a song or Aarti.

Pattachitra paintings are characterized by creative and traditional motifs/designs, decorative borders, and bright colorful applications. The outline of the figure and motifs are bold and sharp. Some common shapes and motifs seen in these paintings are trees, flowers, leaves, elephants, and other creatures. The artists of Odisha and Bengal still use the traditional method of painting which gives a unique look to it altogether.

1. Canvas is prepared

The process of painting a Pattachitra begins by preparing the canvas (patta). Generally, cotton cloth is used for making the canvas. The local artists dip the cotton cloth in a mixture of tamarind seeds and water for a few days. The cloth is then taken out and dried in the sun. Now natural gum is applied over it to stick another layer of cotton cloth on it. Thus a thick layer of cotton cloth is formed. This layered cotton is sun-dried and a paste of chalk powder, tamarind, and gum is applied on both sides. The surface of the cloth is then rubbed with two different stones for smoothening and it is again dried. This process gives the cloth a leathery finish and it is now ready to be painted.

2. Natural colors are made using traditional method

The painters prepare and use vegetable and mineral colors for application in the painting. White color is made from conch shells, black is made by burning coconut shells, Hingula is used for red color, Ramaraja for blue, and Haritala for yellow.

3. Colors are filled in

The artist now makes a double-lined border on all four sides of the canvas. The local artists are so expert in painting that they do not draw figures and motifs with pencil but directly draw them with a brush. The paint brushes that the painters use are made of the hair of domestic animals, a bunch of which is tied to the end of a bamboo stick. The figures are now painted with natural colors using the indigenous brushes. The outline is thickened with black color.

4. Painting is given a finishing

Finally, the painting is varnished/glazed to protect it from any damage and to get a glossy shine on the surface.

The making of a Pattachitra is laborious work and therefore, one painting may sometimes take over a month to complete. Due to their classical look, these paintings are admired by people from all over the world. The artistic skills used in Pattachitra are passed down from one generation to another and thus are preserved to date.