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The folk art of Orissa 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'. They are called "Jhoti"
or "Chita" and are drawn not merely with the intention of
decorating the house, but to establish a relationship between the mystical
and the material, thus being highly symbolical and meaningful.
The Folic Painting
Folic painting is a tradition that survives till today in all its
pristine freshness. Throughout the year, the village women perform several
rituals for the fulfillment of their desires. For each occasion a specific
motif is drawn on the floor or on the wall. For instance, in Lakshmipuja a
stack of paddy or rice sheaves is drawn on the walls structured like a
pyramid. During Durga Puja,
white dots superimposed with red are painted on the walls. This
combination of red and white signifies the worship of Shiva and Shakti.
Drawing A Jhoti Or Chita
To draw a Jhoti or Chita, the fingers are dipped into the rice paste and
made to trace out intricate patterns on the floor or walls. Sometimes a
kind of brush is prepared from a twig to one end of which a small piece of
cloth is attached. This is dipped into the white rice paste to draw
patterns on the wall. At times, the paste is sprinkled on the walls with
delicate swishes of de mist; a pattern resembling bunches of paddy emerges
on the wall.
The
Chitas are also drawn on grain bins, on small pavilions for household
deities, on the threshold of homes and on earthen pots used during
marriage and on other auspicious occasions.
Creating Muruja Designs
Muruja is drawn on the floor with powders of different hues. White powder
is obtained from the grinding of stones, green powder is obtained from dry
leaves, black from burnt coconut shells, yellow from the petals of
marigold flowers or turmeric, and red from red clay or bricks.
Muruja is generally used during rituals in the forms of 'Mandalas'. In
the holy month of 'Kartik' (November) women observe penance and draw
Muruja designs near the 'tulsi' plant. Drawing of Muruja designs needs a
lot of skill and practice. The powder is held between the tips of the
thumb and the forefinger, and allowed to fall delicately through them to
form lines and patterns, which are a delight to the eye testifying to the
innate skill of the practitioners who are generally women.
Tattooing
The rustic people of Orissa used to cover their bodies
with tattoo marks. Tattooing is also referred to as "Kutei Chira"
and carried out by pricking the skin and applying black soot. A tattoo
mark on a woman is believed to symbolise chastity. Some believe that it is
a shield against the torture of 'Yama', the God of Death, or a means
whereby one's soul attains salvation.