Palm leaf engraving in Odisha is one of the most primal art form, which to this date is highly revered. In the ancient era, palm leaf was basically used for various purposes. For the longest period of time, palm leaf was the sole tool of writing. Moreover, it was also used to write the horoscope by the professional horoscope makers. It is the Cuttack district of Odisha, where this beautiful and treasured art form was commenced. In Odisha, if this particular art form has still managed to thrive, it is all thanks to the families of Raghurajpur. The Chitrakars of this tiny village, which falls under the Puri territory of Odisha, practice this particular craft traditionally. In each and every family of the village, one can find a chitrakar and witness that each house has been developed as the Chitrakars studio.
Palm leaf engraving in details:
•Method: Basically, the technique of palm leaves engraving commences with the selection of similar size of leaves. Furthermore the collected unripe palm leaves are trimmed and semidried, later the Chitrakars bury the leaves in marsh for few days. Subsequently, the palm leaves are sewed collectively as per the demand. Sometimes they are sewed post the completion of etching. Etching basically takes place inside the lines by utilizing the iron pen on the strips of the leaf. Afterwards, a mixture of charcoal of burnt coconut shells, oil and turmeric is poured on the etching to define the figures. It is only for the fillers that colors are put into use, nonetheless this hardly demands any color. Basically, vegetable and mineral colors get used for the palm leaf engraving.
• Themes: when it comes to palm leaf engraving in Odisha, one can see diversified themes in these paintings. But all in the lines of mythology. Legends of Ramayana, Mahabharata or for that matter legend of some folklore are some of the themes which dominate palm leaf engraving.
Beautifully etched designs of Radha Krishna story, Lord Jagannath, Goddess Durga and Saraswati can also be found as the central themes of this craft.
• Types of Palm leaf engraving: Basically, the palm leaf engraving is of two types. First one is the simple engravings or illustrations in pure line on palm leaf and the second one is engraving with color fillings. Mostly the palm leaf engravings in Odisha are quite simple. In the olden time, horoscopes for infants were made on palm leaf and it was regarded as simple engravings.
When it comes to color engravings, they mostly come into use during the process of engravings. In these particular engravings, colors are subdued and play an extremely trivial role. Whatever little color is applied, it is either to accentuate the inscriptions or to fill the blank areas. Essentially, religious texts cover the major part of color engravings.
Despite the invention of Printing press in Odisha, people still make use of palm leaf engraving for printing some really significant texts. This clearly indicates the value, this great art form commands.
Indeed, palm leaf engraving in Odisha deserves all the adulation it receives.
For more info visit: http://dedicatedtopeople.org/ .
