Patachitra or the painting on cloth. It originated and flourished in Orissa. Bright and enchanting these cloth paintings or the patta form an exotic home decor product. It is a religious folk art that has crossed the national boundaries to reach the international arena.

The paintings depict mythological characters in their full glory with the colorfully traditional art. The patachitra artists are called Chitrakars. Their canvas is treated cloth. It is made by gluing layers of old cotton cloth and with tamarind glue and chalk to create a leather like surface.

The traditional colors used in the patachitra art are red, ochre, indigo, green, black and white all obtained from the natural sources like Hingula, Ramaraja, Haritala, lamp black, and shells. The brushes are crude made of the hair of domestic animals.

First the outlines are made using red and yellow colors and then other colors. The figures are then color filled using the same colors. The background color is red and is filled prior to other colors. The paintings concentrate on sculpture like figures of simple shapes and monotonous postures and expression. The final step is giving a protective coating. The cloth is given a lacquer coating to protect from the effects of nature and give a glazed varnished look.