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M. J. Krishna

It's a potent blend of timeless history and art amidst modernity. Bhubaneswar and its surrounding areas unfold an interesting tapestry of life.

Pipli is famous for such colourful artwork

As the Boeing prepares for landing at Bhubaneswar, the magnificent temples of the city look huge even from the sky. Driving into Orissa's capital city, one observes the blend of tradition with modernity. Vehicles on the roads have increased multi-fold, and traffic is managed by smart, young women clad in modern police uniform, although the tradition of paan chewing still remains.

Old houses have given way to multi-storeyed apartments that have rooms with a splendid view of the thousands of temples that dot the skyline. Some of the towers are over a millennium old, and have more than a million images exquisitely etched in stone. They are a visual treat for the visitor, their grand structures whispering history and piety.

Of late, the winds of a welcome change seem to be breezing through these monuments — for instance, the attitude of the Panda priests towards visitors and devotees at the Lingaraj temple precincts. While during a previous occasion, one was denied entry citing non-existent rules and practices, this time the Pandas acted as honorary guides to all. Our "guide" was Bichitra Panda.

Taking us around the complex, "Bichy", as he preferred to be called, stopped at a mango tree, climbed up and offered a few of the delicious "Karpoora" variety. The gesture warmed our hearts, and we knew that we would cherish this visit to the temple. As you drive beyond the city, you aretransported to the third century B.C., to explore the land of the Kalingas, the very land that transformed the conqueror Asoka into a messenger of peace.

When you pause at the monument of Dhaulagiri, the stone-carved elephant takes you back 2,300 years, along with the edicts of Devanapriya that speak of the great king's commitment to the environment, his planting of trees and making the land green, his compassion for animals and birds, and his insight into day-to-day administration and economics.

If you take the road to Konark and Puri, you might almost miss the hamlet of Pipli as the highway curves towards the coast, and notice only the colourful pieces of cloth danglers and buntings displayed along the road, before moving on.

But stay awhile, for this little spot is a premier handicrafts centre producing a fascinating range of appliqué products in an array of shapes and sizes and in brilliant hues. Products that include awnings, canopies, wall hangings, umbrellas and decorative pieces of kundini-worked cotton fabrics make a dazzling display.

Pipli is a town of co-operative workshops. Ahmed, an entrepreneur, invited us to his unit, where we watched in fascination as he expertly stitched together bits of fabric to form different patterns that came out as purses and bags. Pipli's applique work finds a good world market, our host said, proudly showing us an export order.

As we moved on, Patro's (another entrepreneur) unit offered colourful ceramic ware shaped like elephants, horses, dancers and vegetable-like piggy banks. These products seemed to rival West Bengal's Gaur ceramics.

It was teatime, and at the "Cha" joint, laughter and cheer filled the air; artists were sipping scalding tea and munching tasty singada (samosas), while discussing their work.

Further on, the mirrors on one display reflected the image of the century-old Church. Pipli struck us as a hamlet of camaraderie, friendship and peaceful co-existence.

The Lingaraj Temple at Bhubaneswar.

As if the visual treat of the sculptures and applique work was not enough for the day, we set off for another artists' village en route to Puri. Thanks to the visit of Nepal's royalty, this visit, unlike the earlier, was smooth. We passed green fields of paddy, and also swaying palms and agile climbers scurrying up the palmtops to tap toddy.

Before long, we reached the market town of Chandanpur and proceeded to cross the Bhargavi river before finally reaching the home of "Patta Chitra" paintings.

A stone bust of the famed guru Jagannath Mohapatra greeted us, and artists invited us to their workshops. Young Baraha Das explained his work as he added the finishing strokes to a painting depicting Krishna and his gopikas Patta Chitra, he said, was the use of stone dyes and crushed seashells to paint on cloth that was stiffened by the application of ground chalk and tamarind paste. Earlier, colours were extracted from vegetable dyes, but not any longer.

Next door, Nayak's studio, with three brothers and a sister, all of them seasoned young artisans of Talapatra, palm leaf inscriptions, is engaged in drawing minutely detailed images, which are later painted using black ink made from flowers and bean leaves. Maga showed us one, depicting a temple with the verses of the classic Geeta Govinda intricately, a work he said, took two full months to complete.

Another youngster, Susantha Senapati, fondly recalled his days with his guru, Jagannath Mohapatra, under whose tutelage he studied art. He recounted how the famous man exhorted his students to display their art through workshops and expositions at other Indian cities, making Raghurajpur art attain the fame it has today.

From Susantha we learnt a lot about the village that he had made his home. He explained that 120 families with over 500 artisans lived here, specialising in nine art forms that included stone and wooden carvings, papier mache work, painted demon masks, book indices and cards, besides bracelets and beaded belts worn by the Gotipua dancers; boys dressed like girls and performing an ancient art form that was the precursor of the Odissi dance style.

The grand old man of Odissi, Kelucharan Mohapatra, was himself a Gotipua, in his childhood, trained here in his native Raghurajpur.

We bade goodbye to the friends we made at the village, crossed the Bhargavi and got back to the busy highway.

Our drive to Puri was filled with memories of the amazing images and the simple lifestyles of the people who had warmed our hearts and senses with their craftsmanship.

Pictures by the author

Fact file

How to get there: Pipli is a half-hour drive from Dhaulagiri, situated on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. From Pipli, it takes 45 minutes to reach Raghurajpur.

Where to stay: At Bhubaneswar: Luxury - Hotel Swosti, Ph: (0674) 2535771; Hotel Kalinga Ashok, Ph: 2431055; Budget - OTDC's Panthanivas, Ph: 2432314; At Puri: Luxury - Hotel Mayfair Beach, Ph: (06752) 224041; South Eastern Railway Hotel, Ph: 222063; Budget - Panthanivas, Ph: 222562.

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