Durga in Bengal Patachitra

Durga, the most popular local deity, is a very interesting subject because of the many Puranic and folk tales associated with her and the Patuas' adaptation of these stories into their unique styles of painting.

One can see the care, love and emotional connect they have with the Goddess in their detailed illustrations.

This frame shows the demon, 'Asura', whom the Goddess defeats, and her mount, the lion. Her two sons, Lord Ganesha (the Elephant God) with his mount, the mouse, and Lord Karthik with his mount, the peacock, are depicted on either side.

The two daughters of Durga are Lakshmi and Saraswati. Goddess Lakshmi, worshiped for prosperity, is depicted here on the left. She can be recognized by the pot of wealth that she carries and her mount, the owl. 

On the right is Goddess Saraswati, worshiped for knowledge and creativity. She carries the Veena and is accompanied by her mount, the swan, at all times. 

The frame on top, known as Chaalchitra, is a typical Patachitra element to include other Gods and Goddesses of the cohort in the painting.

On the frame we find Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Kali and other deities. Interestingly, the Moon and the Sun are also depicted. 

Every Patua has different styles and expressions even when the subject is the same.This frame shows the Goddess with her family.

This is a painting by Anwar Chitrakar, a young versatile traditional Patua artist who won the State Award (West Bengal) in 2002, and the National Award in 2006, and the Rabindra Bharati University Award for his innovative work.

Durga is holding different objects given to her by different Gods in order to vanquish the Asura. 

These objects include Shankha (Conch), Chakra (Discus), Dhanush (Bow), Padma (Lotus), Teer (Arrow), Trishul (Trident), Gada (Mace), Sarpa (Snake), and Kuthar (Axe).

Anwar was commissioned by the Govt. of India in 2013 to create a painting of Goddess Durga for the Mumbai International Airport.

Anwar is an internationally acclaimed artist whose work has been collected and showcased across India, Germany, UK, France, and USA.

This is a painting by Uttam Chitrakar

This painting depicts the Goddess Lakshmi with her mount, the owl.

Bahadur Chitrakar is the painter. 

The figures show an influence of the Bengal School of Art, especially in the features of the eyes, nose, fingers and the softness of the lines.

The owl has been stylized to have features similar to that of the Goddess, and also bears influence of the Bengal School of Art.

In a touch of modernism, her garment is inscribed with English nursery rhymes!


The artist, Bahadur Chitrakar, says that he likes using text, both English and Bengali, to decorate his paintings. These rhymes in particular are taken from his children's nursery rhyme book.

This painting of Lord Ganesha, also by Bahadur Chitrakar, is more modern in its style, and has more sophisticated use of colors.

Here the artist has used the word 'Ganapati' in the Bengali script to decorate Ganesha's trunk.

This frame, painted by Anwar Chitrakar, depicts a scene from a popular folklore about an incarnation of Goddess Durga, known as 'Kamale Kamini' (Lady of the Lotus), where she is sitting on a lotus with Ganesha.

Kamale Kamini is an ancient folklore about a merchant on a very long sea voyage to Sinhal, where he travels many miles but loses his way in the middle of the ocean. 

Then a beautiful lady sitting on a lotus,  who seems to be a Goddess from her beauty and her ways, appears in the middle of the rough waters. Soon after sighting this miraculous apparition, the merchant finds land and reaches Sinhal. The Goddess was believed to be a folk deity but with time merged with the Puranic deity, Chandi. All these are believed to be incarnations of Durga.