Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal

Medinipur Patachitra (Bengal Patachitra scroll)

Patachitra is a hand-painted folk scroll of Bengali mythological, devotional and historical scenes, drawn with freehand lines and filled with natural mineral and vegetable pigments on cloth or paper. In Paschim Medinipur the tradition lives in the Muslim-majority village of Naya in Pingla block, where nearly every household works as a patua, and in villages of the Daspur block, with a patachitra mela where artists gather. Bengal Patachitra carries a GI tag and was picked as the district's ODOP product by the national portal. Buyers get an original hand-drawn scroll or painted item (saree, umbrella, bottle) from working artists rather than a printed copy.

Typical price: ₹500-15000

Buying tip: Buy directly from patua families in Naya village (Pingla) or at the local patachitra mela, where you can commission a scene. Look for hand-ground natural pigments and freehand line work rather than printed or marker-drawn copies.