BONGONIKETAN Blog — Handcraft

Pattachitra is a traditional folk art of visual storytelling by songs and is a unique art from of Rural Bengal that dates back to the period of Mohenjo-Daro Civilization. The Patuas (the Pattachitra artist) not only paints with perfection, but also sings and presents his or her art to their audience. Bengal Pattachitra is world’s first attempt to create motion pictures. The word ‘Pata’ originates from the Sanskrit word ‘Patta’, meaning cloth and ‘Chitra’ meaning painting. In Patachitra, stories are painted as frames on long scrolls and the Patuas who paint Patas, travel from village to village gradually unrolling them...

  Terracotta is one of the first attempts of man at clay modelling which has been perfected with time at Bankura district in West Bengal.    The structure of ‘Bankura Horse’ symbolises a mark of devotion and valour. It stands on its four legs with the neck held high and the ears and the tail erect and straight. To acquire the valour of a horse, the ancient Hindu kings use to perform Aswamedh Yajna to acquire power and glory, the sovereignty over neighbouring provinces, and general prosperity of the kingdom.Though the tradition started from Panchmura of Bankura, the Malla kings...

Folk toys had it’s origin in the late 18th century during the reign of Maharaja Krishna Chandra Ray in Krishnanagar, Nadia district of West Bengal, who was a patron of the arts. In 1728, he brought families of potters from Dhaka and Natore (in present-day Bangladesh) to Ghurni and supported the production of folk toys. Since then, the artisans have been living there and making clay dolls, toys and even sculptures commonly called "Matir Putul". Ghurni is a place in the neighborhood of Krishnanagar, in the Nadia district of West Bengal. What makes it remarkable is that these toys are tiny...

The name ‘Dhokra’ comes from the Dhokra Damar tribes, the traditional metal smiths of West Bengal. It uses the traditional method of lost wax process of metal casting, which goes back to 4000 years.The world famous figurine of the dancing girl from Mohenjo-daro (c. 2300 – 1750 BCE) is the oldest and most famous piece of Dhokra art from the times of Harappan Civilisation. Craftsmen rely on the natural materials at their immediate disposal for making it – wax, resin and firewood from the riverbed clay, forest or underground firing oven. This craft uses a non-ferrous metal like copper and...