Santal Paintings

Santals mostly paint vertical scrolls, and their Chitrakars paint yamapata scrolls on paper, mounted on cloth, hung on a bamboo frame, and recite happy or unhappy destinies of human beings after death in the realm of Yama, the land of death. Jedu patuas, magician scroll painters save the Santal dead from wondering blindly and aimlessly in the after world by chakshudana, gift of the eyes, by inserting pupils in the sightless eyes in their potraits. Santal motifs on marriage litter are done in precise economic lines, eschewing the cursive lines, curve and opulence of the scrolls done for rural Bengal. The Jadupats are made in madder red, burnt sienna, indigo and ochre.

A beautiful portfolio of Santal Paintings from the Lalit Kala Akademi, we are proud to bring to you this collection of vibrant prints exclusively available from Shalimar Books.