Shola Pith The Unique Craft Of Bengal

Indian Handicrafts

Sholapith Indian Handicraft Is One Of The One The Most Significant Handicrafts Of The State Of West Bengal. Sholapith Craft Of West Bengal Recognized As One Of The Best Example Of Elegance, Exquisite Beauty And Superb Craftsmanship. Sholapith Indian Handicrafts Form An Significant Part Of The Major Religious Rituals In West Bengal Region. The People Engaged As Sholapith Craftsmen Are Known As Malakar. This Paper Aims At Identify The Production Cluster Of Sholapith Indian Handicrafts Of West Bengal. The Actual Cultural Significance Of Sholapith Craft Is To Classify The Products According To Their Uses. According To The Recent Studies It Reveals The Production Process Of Sholapith Indian Handicrafts. The Implements And Raw Materials Used In It And Technological Aspects Associated With These Products.The Data Are Collected Through Observation, Semi Structured, Indepth Interviews And Group Discussion. The Data Were Textual And Contextual Type I.E. The Former Is From The Documents And The Latter Is From The Studied Areas.

Sholapith Indian Handicrafts Or Shola Pith (also Referred To As Shola And Indian Cork) Is A Dried Milky-White Spongy Plant Matter Which Can Be Pressed And Shaped Into Delicate And Beautiful Objects Of Art. Thermocol Is Artificially Made, Sholapith Is Much Superior To Thermocol In Terms Of Malleability, Texture, Luster And Sponginess. Shola Grows Wild In Marshy Waterlogged Areas. The Biological Name Of Shola Is Aeschynomene Aspera Of The Bean Family. Herbaceous Plant, Which Grows Specifically In The Marshy Areas Of Bengal, Assam, Orissa And The Deccan. The Sholapith Is Manufactured From The Cortex Or Core Of The Plant And It Is About 1.5 Inches Across.

Sholapith Indian Handicrafts Traditionally Were Used In Embellishing Hindu Deities And Headgear’s For Brides And Grooms For A Conventional Bengali Wedding Ceremony. The People Associated With Sholapith Indian Handicraft Are Known As Malakar, It Means “Garland Maker”.The Reason Is To Make Garlands Made From Shola For Idols And For The Noble Class. Nearly 5,000 Artisans Are Involved In This Sholapith Craft. Craftsmen Spend Several Months On A Piece To Meticulously Curve Out The Details.

In West Bengal This Indian Handicraft Is Mainly Found In The Region Of Bardhaman, Hoogly, Nadia & Murshidabad Region Depicts About The Shola Crafts Are Flowery Designs, Decorative Head Wear Of Deities, Garlands, Exquisite Figures Like Faces Of Gods And Goddesses, Elephant Howdahs, Peacock Boats, Palanquins And So On. All Are Craft Of Sholapith.

The Idol Makers Of Heritage Place Of Kumortuli Who Traditionally Produced Clay Idols Have Taken To Making Idols Of Sholapith And Fiberglass. The Height Of The Idols Can Varying From 4 To 9 Feet. These Are Mostly Meant For Indian Community Puja Organizers Abroad. During Modern Times Sholapith Handicrafts Have Found A Huge Range Of Application In Home Décor, As An Artistic Objects. Today, Products Of Shola Are Exported To Different Countries In The World Too As Home Decor India.

The Tales Of Pattachitra Art

PattachitraArt

The Pattachitra Is A Traditional Indian Art Paintings Form From Orissa Region That Is Completely Based On Hindu Mythology. The Name Is Derived From Sanskrit Word For Cloth “Patta” & Picture “Chitra” Denoting Cloth Based Scroll Painting. Most Indian Art Paintings Depict Hindu Mythology & Are Inspired By Lord Jagannath.It Is One Of The Oldest Art Form Of Odisha.

Pattachitra Is One Of The Spellbinding Traditional Painting Of Odisha, India. All Shades Used In The Indian Art Paintings Are Natural. Ancient Times It Was Done Only On Cloth Canvas And It Used To Depict About Hindu Mythology. Now A Days Pattachitra Artists Are Exploring New Designs And Themes. There Was A Time, When This Art Form Was Known To Be Associated Only With Men, But With Time, Woman Have Also Mastered It And Are Contributing To Sustain This Rare Heritage. Pattachitra Painting Depicts Mostly About Mythological Characters.

The Origin Of Pattachitra Indian Art Paintings Depicts The Old Time Period Of Odisha Dating Back To The 5th Century Bc.It Is Located In The Regions Of The 'Pattachitra' Painting Depicts The Old Murals Of Odisha Dating Back To The 5th Century Bc Especially In The Religious Centres Of Puri, Konark And Bhubaneswar Region. Raghurajpur, A Village In Odisha State.

Traditionally, The Painters Are Known As ‘chitrakaars’. The Use Of Cloth For Indian Paintings Has Been In Trend In India From Early Period. The Origin Of The Patta Style Is Based On Lord. The Colour Schemes Of The Deities Of Puri Are Quite Similar To Those Of The Patta Style. The Patta Painting Has Its Root In Religion. It Is Evolved, Nourished And Flourished Under The Cult Of Lord Jagannath. These Indian Paintings Were Originally Created Mainly For Worship On Days When The Temple Doors Were Shut For The 'ritual Bath' Of The Deity. D. Here In These Paintings, The Deities Have Been Depicted With Full Leg And Hands In Padmasan Mudra. These Paintings Are Known As Ansar Pati.

The Pattachitra Indian Art Paintings Has Its Origin In The Jagannath Temple. It Revolved Around The Main Theme Of Pattas. In This Form Of Art, Lord Jagannath Is Depicted As Maha Vishnu And The Way Of Worship Is Shaped Mostly By Vaisnavite Tradition. Patta Chitra Are The Stories From Ramayan And Mahabharat Including That Of Lord Jagannath, Their Perennial Source Of Inspiration. Patta Indian Art Paintings Are Done On A Strips Of Cotton Cloth.The Canvas For Painting Is Prepared By Coating The Cotton Cloth With A Mixture Of Chalk And Gum Made From Tamarind Seeds. The Cloth Is Then Dried. When Canvas Is Smooth Then Chikana Stone Is Rubbed For Shining The Cloth. Then, Khaddar Stone Is Rubbed On The Cloth Several Times For Smoothening The Canvas. After Which The Chitrakaar (artist) Paints The Canvas With Vegetable And Stone Colors. The Final Lines Are Drawn Directly With The Brush Either In Light Red Or Yellow.The Colours Used Are Bright And Primarily White, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green And Black. The Red Is Used Predominantly For The Back Ground. These Colours Are Prepared Out Of The Natural Ingredients. In This Way, The Beautiful & Fascinating Art Form, The Patta Chitra Has Become A Distinct Art Form.