ARTS AND CRAFT:Odisha boasts of a long and rich cultural heritage

Odisha boasts of a long and rich cultural heritage. Due to the reigns of many different rulers in the past, the culture, arts and crafts of the state underwent many changes, imitations, assimilations and new creations, from time to time. The artistic skill of the Odishan artists is unsurpassable in the world. The discovery that traditional artists still live and work throughout Odisha, producing various objects in many media, is an exciting part of any visit to the state.

Silver Filigree : Of all the handicrafts of Odisha the most unique and the finest, in fact the queen among them, is silver filigree, locally called tarakasi. The craft is localised at Cuttack town and a few villages in Cuttack district. The process consists of drawing silver through a series of consecutively smaller holes to produce fine strands of wire.

These wires are then made into various shapes by deft hands of the craftsmen by bending them into different designs and soldering them with pincer and scissors.Silver used by the artisans is usually of high purity often exceeding ninety per cent.

Sand Arts : In Odisha ,a unique type of art form is developed at Puri . But it spreads all over the world . To carve a sand sculpture , the raw material is the only clean and fine grained sand mixed with water . With the help

of this type of sand and with the blessings of God and by the magic of fingures , an artist can carve a beautiful and attractive sculpture on the beach. More ....

Patta Chitra : In Odisha ,a unique type of art form is developed at Puri . But it spreads all over the world . To carve a sand sculpture , the raw material is the only clean and fine grained sand mixed with water . With the help

Rama and Krishna are usually depicted on the pattas. "Rasa Lila", "Vastra Haran", "Kaliya Dalan" are some of the recurring themes of Patta art.

Applique Art : Like patachitras, appliqué work in Odisha also originated as a temple art. The artisans of Pipli - a village 40 km from Puri have their mastery in applique art. Besides Puri, appliqué work is also practiced in Chitki,

Barpali, and a couple of other places. Colored cloth, are stitched in shape of animals, birds, flowers and beautiful wall, garden or beach umbrella, a lamp shade and much more hangings are made. Saris and other attires are designed with appliqué work, which is gaining lot of popularity in international market. Tiny mirrors are stick or stitched by thread embroidery to create a remarkable work of art. Colors like red, yellow, white and black are mainly used, in applique work whereas green has also been added in recent times.

Rock Paintings : Odisha has an age old tradition of Painting which stretches from the prehistoric rock shelters to the temples and mathas of this century. Out of these the traditional painters , the tribal painter , the folk and rock painters are of significance.

Palm Leaf Paintings : Palm leaf paintings are very ancient in Odisha.In Odisha the Palm Leaf illustrations are mainly of two types, simple engravings or illustrations in pure line on palm leaf and engraving with colour fillings.

In these engravings, colours are muted and play a very minor part. Where colours are at all applied, they are just painted either to emphasize the inscriptions, or to fill up blank space.

Jhoti,Chita,Muruja : The folk art of Odisha is bound up with its social and religious activities. In the month of Margasira, women folk worship the goddess Lakshmi. It is the harvest season when grain is thrashed and stored.

During this auspicious occasion, the mud walls and floors are decorated with murals in white rice paste or pithau.