Raghurajpur, a designated craft heritage village near Puri, is home to an entire community of traditional pattachitra painters, palm-leaf engravers and other artisans, nearly every household in the village practising some form of traditional Odishan art. The village has produced several nationally recognised master craftsmen, and its distinctive, brightly decorated houses — themselves often adorned with traditional wall paintings — give Raghurajpur a genuinely artistic character throughout, not confined to individual workshops.
Visitors can watch pattachitra scroll painting, a centuries-old technique using natural pigments to depict mythological scenes, being created directly by artisans, and the village's recognition as a heritage craft centre has helped sustain traditional skills that might otherwise face pressure from mass-produced alternatives.
Raghurajpur's pattachitra painting tradition, closely tied to the ritual art associated with the nearby Jagannath Temple in Puri, has been practised in the village for generations, and its formal recognition as a heritage craft village has helped preserve and promote this distinctive Odishan artistic tradition.
October to March.
About 14km from Puri, roughly 30 minutes by road.
No reviews yet — be the first.
Sign in to leave a review — reviews are posted under your account name.