When Lord Jagannath appeared on My Art Table
My first large Pattachitra painting for Rath Yatra
Every year, the streets of Puri come alive for one of India’s grandest festivals, the Rath Yatra, when Lord Jagannath, along with his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra, leaves the temple to bless devotees from beautifully decorated wooden chariots.
This year, the journey found its way onto my art table.
The wonderful Instagram community @artisticfolklore, which celebrates Indian folk art traditions, announced a collaborative project inviting artists to depict the Jagannath Rath Yatra in the Pattachitra style. I had admired Pattachitra for a long time, but had never attempted a detailed painting of this scale. It felt like the right moment to say yes.
My earlier experience with Pattachitra was limited to a simple Dashavatar series from the time I had just begun exploring Indian folk art. This painting of Jagannath and siblings was different. It was my first serious attempt at understanding the style, and also my first artwork on a 24 × 18 inch canvas, the largest canvas I have painted so far.
As always, I began with the border.
After sketching the composition with my favourite fineliner pens, the familiar rhythm of drawing the border settled my nerves. Borders have quietly become my way of entering every artwork. Once they are complete, the rest of the painting somehow begins to find its own place.
Before touching the brush to the canvas, I spent time studying the three chariots, their colours, decorative details and symbolism. I wanted the painting to reflect the spirit of the festival while remaining faithful to the visual language of Pattachitra.
Then came the real challenge.
Unlike some of my earlier folk art experiments with colour pens and acrylic markers, Pattachitra demanded patience. Every layer of acrylic paint had to dry before the next could be added. Light colours over darker backgrounds needed several careful coats.
Subhadra’s chariot tested me the most. The deep red and black colours made me wonder how the lighter decorative details would appear on the canvas. There were moments of uncertainty, but slowly the colours began to behave, and with every completed section my confidence grew.
The large, expressive eyes of Jagannath have fascinated me for years. They are unlike any other depiction of Krishna and instantly recognisable. Painting those iconic faces, along with Balabhadra and Subhadra, was perhaps the most rewarding part of the entire journey.
I also documented parts of the process with photographs. Looking back now, I wish I had taken even more step-by-step pictures. That’s something I hope to do in future Pattachitra projects, because I enjoy recording the journey almost as much as the finished artwork.
This Jagannath painting will remain in my personal collection, just as my Warli Dashavatar series.
It still waits to be framed, and I already know it deserves a special place on our wall. More than being my largest artwork so far, it reminds me of something even more valuable; it gave me the confidence to believe that I can explore Pattachitra further.
Perhaps there will be smaller Pattachitra paintings in the months ahead.
And yes… the Pattachitra Dashavatar series is already waiting patiently on my sketchbook.
A closer look
If you enjoy drawing borders, do take a closer look at the simple Pattachitra border around this painting. From start to the final look. Sometimes the smallest repeating motifs become the most satisfying part of the entire artwork.
From My Art Table
For this painting, I used:
- Fineliner pens for the initial sketch.
- Fevicryl acrylic colours.
- Artist’s canvas 18″ by 24“
These are the same materials I genuinely use in my artwork and have served me well through this journey.
Collector’s Note
This original Jagannath painting is staying with me.
It marks an important milestone in my journey through Indian folk arts, and I would like to keep it as part of my personal collection. From time to time, I may create smaller Pattachitra paintings inspired by this tradition, and perhaps one day offer archival-quality prints or hand-painted recreations of selected works.
For now, I am simply grateful that Lord Jagannath chose my art table for this beautiful beginning.
