Chitrakathi Art

Discover the history of Chitrakathi art, a puppet-based storytelling art form from Maharashtra.

Dastkari Haat Samiti

Dastkari Haat Samiti

Chitrakathi Painting: Storytelling (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Chitrakathi in Pinguli

'Chitra' means painting and 'katha' is a story in any form. Chitrakathi is the combination of art and storytelling which represents a special art form of Maharashtra. The village of Pinguli, near Kudal in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, is home to the few families who practise the art. Chitrakathi artists are from the Thakar tribe. They not only create paintings, but are also performers, composing the songs that tell stories, and performing them to music.

Chitrakathi Painting: Storytelling (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Parshuram Gangawane along with his two sons regularly hold Chitrakathi performances in their museum.

By modulating their voice to create dialogue and drama, the performance is also backed by vocals and playing traditional musical instruments.

Chitrakathi Painting: The Chitrakathi family (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The Gangawane family are Chitrakathi artists who continue in the traditional craft, while also moving forward into contemporary interpretations.

Chitrakathi Painting: Community art (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The artists tried their hand at street art using calligraphy in the Devanagari script with Chitrakathi art, among other things, in the letters. The letters spell Kudal, their home town.

Chitrakathi Painting: Habitat and Community (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

In and around the home of the Gangawane family one can see a love of art in the traditional welcome of a decorated cow and a drummer.

Chitrakathi Painting: Habitat and Community (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The chitrakathi artist family has created a museum that used to be their cowshed. The entrance to the museum has a hint of the graceful art form.

Chitrakathi Painting: Gawde Wada (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The outside view of the Gawade Wada, where Chitrakathi painting is done on the walls.

Chitrakathi Painting: Gawde Wada (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The window on the outer wall of Gawade Wada.

Chitrakathi Painting: Gawde Wada (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The family who are the keepers of the Wada.

Chitrakathi Painting: Gawde Wada (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Temple inside the Wada, where the walls are painted by the Chitrakathi artists.

Chitrakathi Painting: Gawde Wada (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The outside view of the Gawade Wada.

Chitrakathi Painting: Gawde Wada (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The wall inside the Wada where Chitrakathi is performed.

Chitrakathi Painting: Habitat and Community (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The community temple in Pinguli where chitrakathi artists go to perform during festivals.

Chitrakathi Painting: Habitat and Community (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Sindhudurg fort, seen in the background here is an important part of Pinguli village, where Chitrakathi artists perform.

Chitrakathi Painting: Habitat and Community (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The area around the Sindhudurg fort which is an important tourist attraction in Pinguli.

Chitrakathi Painting: Habitat and Community (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The Gangawane family is so devoted to preserving their collective art form that they have sold their cows and converted their cowshed into a museum on Chitrakathi where they hold their workshops and performances.

The museum displays old Chitrakathi works.

Chitrakathi Painting: Old paintings (2017) by Gangawane FamilyDastkari Haat Samiti

Credits: Story

Text: Jaya Jaitly
Photography: Chirodeep Chaudhuri
Artisans: Parshuram Gangawane and family
Ground Facilitator: Ankit Kumar, Vishpala Hundekari
Documentary Video: Ankit Kumar
Curation: Aradhana Nagpal

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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