Blessings of Ganesha-Patachitra

Dimensions : 9 x 9 Inches

Patachitra, the famous folk-art of Orissa, blossomed out of the cult of Lord Jagannath and it still happens to be the dominant core of this school of painting. However, other Indian deities frequently appear in these paintings. Apart from Jagannath and Krishna, images of Laxmi and Saraswati, Kali, Chamunda, Chandi, Chinnamasta, Durga, Rama, Siva and Ganesha are quite popular. Seen in this Talapatachitra is an elaborate image of the elephant headed Indian God of prosperity – Ganesh. Ganesha is ‘Sankat-mochana’ (remover of obstacles), the God of domestic harmony and prosperity.

In this handmade folk painting, Ganesha is attributed with four hands, a bowl of sweets, a serpent around his neck and a goad in his hand. Ganesha’s Vahana (vehicle) the rat sits in front of him holding a piece of sweet in its hand. Ganesha’s head represents the ‘atma’ or the soul of human beings, signifying the ultimate reality of life. His human body represents ‘Maya’ or the illusory physical existence of humans. His Goad rids all difficulties and leads human beings ahead in the path of eternal wisdom. The sweets indicate the sweetness of ‘atma’ and the serpent symbolizes power. Ganesha is humble enough to ride the humblest of creatures – the rat. The vibrant colors and strong lines of the Talapatachitra have vividly captured all these iconographic details. Along with the usage of the traditional earthen color palette (red, green, blue, black, yellow), pink has also been used in this painting. Intricate detailing and elaborate ornamentations adorn this piece of rare handicraft. Leaves and floral patterns beautify the fringes magnificently.