Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra-Patachitra

Dimensions : 12 x 8 Inches

Patachitras are religious folk paintings common in the state of Orissa in Eastern India. They traditionally carry the themes from Ramayana, Mahabharat, Bhagavat Gita, anecdotes of Krishna and Radha and pictures of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra. The handmade painting in concern carries the motif of the holy triad – Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra, etched on palm leaves (Talpata), and hence known as Talaptachitra. The deities stand on platforms, Balabhadra on the left, Subhadra in the middle, Jagannath on the right. The three aniconic figures have dominant faces and their lower

limbs are not shown. Balabhadra's face is white, his eyes are oval-shaped, and he has stump like arms. Subhadra is yellow and she too has oval eyes. Jagannath is black in color and his eyes are round and large. This image is meant to resemble the idols in the Jagannath Temple of Puri, Orissa. During the course of the day's ritual activities in the Jagannath temple in Puri, the god Jagannath and his siblings are dressed in various ornaments and clothing. The term vesha (dress, costume) is used to describe these presentations of the deity. In this Talapatachitra, the Jagannath Trinity is painted in the ‘bada-singhara vesha’. The bada-singhara vesha is the most elaborate costume that occurs just before the deities are put to bed. In this dress, the three deities wear silk cloths on which the text of the Gita Govinda (a poem cycle by the medieval poet Jayadeva celebrating the love of Krishna and Radha) is written. They are also garlanded with flowers. The painting uses the traditional combination of earthen colors – red, yellow, white and green and is bordered by a leafy design.