The Sun was setting, and the slanting rays of the Sun were golden as we drove to Raghurajpura from Konark. Having seen a vlog on Raghurajpura I put it on our itinerary to make it a holistic trip. And we were not disappointed. Pipli, the applique capital on the way to Puri from Bhubaneshwar had been a delight but it was Raghurajpura which stole our hearts.

A white temple-like structure with an orange flag atop stood at its entrance. A painting of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman and “Raghurajpura” at their feet welcomed us. Wonder why Ganesha and Shiva photobombed the picture! A very enterprising middle-aged man broke away from the group in front of it and offered to show us around. The group didn’t seem very curious about us, perhaps they were used to tourists like us. As we crossed the temple, we saw the top of its side graced by Nava Durgas.

Raghurajpura is a heritage village and an artist only village the like of which I have not seen. It is home to so many cultural ambassadors of Orissa like Kelucharan Mohapatra, the Odissi exponent, Gotipua dancer Padma Shri Guru, Maguni Charan Das and is the birth place of Shilp Guru Dr. Jagannath Mahapatra a prominent Pattachitra Artist He has made huge contributions to the development of Pattachitra art as well as Raghurajpura. Kelucharan Mohapatra’s house is in ruins now. There is a school which teaches Gotipua and they invited us for a performance. We looked at the diminishing light and at each other and decided we would soak in Raghurajpura more. Gotipua has to wait for the next visit.

Raghurajpura is mostly a u-shaped alley with houses bordering it on one side and a central common area with Temples etc. Each house is a treasure trove and a front for shopping as well. The entire family is involved in it, while some paint others sell. During the Covid Pandemic, the Orissa government paid an assistance of 10k to each house to decorate their house. And the residents had let their imagination soar. Understandably Jagannatha and his siblings in various avatars were the dominant theme. A house had painted the siblings above their door and the door borders were an offering of flowers. Another had a detailed Pattachitra covering the entire façade. A couple of houses announced a wedding in the family in the presence of Gods. What a novel way to invoke their blessings! One such house had a painting of the Puri Rath yatra. Ganesha, Hanuman, Lakshmi, Rama, Sita and many more Gods blessed us as we stood before them. Colorful masks stared at us from the walls inside the houses. Metal masks, buckets, pots, masks made of coconut , the ubiquitous key chains, coasters were all for sale.

The gentleman had a tough time sheepherding us. We would dart into every house; we would stand and gape at every Facade and click photos of it from all angles in the diminishing light. Finally, we reached his place, his intended destination. He showed us the implements and walked us through the elaborate process of making the canvas and painting the Pattachitra from natural colours to the hard work that goes into the minute details. You must see a big one to appreciate it. It is exquisite and is backbreaking work. He had Pattachitras of all ranges starting from 500 rupees to tens of thousands. Each house proudly shows off the best work done by their previous generation. We bought a few and said goodbye to him.

It was dark before we had taken a cursory look at all the houses, their facades, their shops and disappointed many by not lingering and buying. With a “we will be back” we drove off.

I am never satisfied with a single visit to any place. Sigh!

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