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The cultural history of Odisha can be prehistoric times .Traces of prehistoric civilization are evident in different parts of Odisha.The history of art in Odisha began with the mouryan rule over Kalinga in ancient Odisha ,when stone was usual as the medium for art .The first specimens of plastic art in Odisha date back to the third century B.C. Found at Dhauli near Bhubaneswar and Jaugarh in the district of Ganjam.later it seems that the art activities in odisha were influenced by the contemporary a all India trade during the period from the first centuryB.C.to at least the fourth or fifth century A.D. The first mural painting at Sitabinji in Keonjhar district can be grouped with mural paintings of Ajanta belonging to the Gupta period is the only evidence of early classical Oddishan painting from the seventh century onwards several royal dynasties ruled in successive over ancient Odisha and the political and cultural life becomes more cleat the sculptural art took a definite shape from t his period with the building of beautiful temples’ in Bhubaneswar complex and other places in Odisha.
According to the royal patronage and also due to the teaching of Vaishnav scholar stage tradition of pattachitra painting seems to have got associated with the icons of Jagannath, Balabhadraand Subhadra in the Jagannath temple of Puri in the Ganga period (circa A.D.1110 to 1435).In the temple of Jagannath there are the daily rituals of arousing the duties feeding them and putting to bed at night .There are besides many periodic and festive rituals to be observed a different auspicious days. The most important of these festivals in the Ratha Yatra (Car Festival) but there are a number of other important festivals to keep the sevaks busy through out the year in most of these festive visits the chitrakar have function.
The paintings of the anasara pati during the Anasara that is the primary ritual function of the chitrakars and the need for the substitute icon might well have been the basic reason for creating the seva itself. For at least fifteen days of the year the creations of the chitrakar receive the some obeisance and worship from the devotees. Besides painting of the substitute icon The other important function of the chitrakar is to decorate cars (Rathas) during the Ratha Yatra and other festive occasions ,Chitrakar was one of the Origin thirty six order which was introduced by the king Anangbhim Dev(1211 to 1238) in the Jagannath temple. There is alleged among chitrakars of Puri that the Srimukha Sinhara seva was also performed by the chitrakars earlier .Having had their origin in the rituals of the Puri temple several hundred of years back the chitrakars in later periods seems to have moved to other parts of Odisha specially so called Athargada Jata ( Eighteen few datary states )areas.
Besides the seva chitrakars have traditionally painted gods and goddess and religious stories on matha and temple walls .At one time particular chitrakara families were attached too particular matha and temples they also spare time engages their self in doing other painting on patta for commercial sale .In important market places of Orissa older times the chitrakars would even set up a shop in the market place. Not only pattachitra they sell via, yatripatis, Ganjeefa card sets, paper mask wooden image, toys of Jagannath and etc. Pattachitra was an already existing art form before palm leaf illustrations made their appearance in t the fifteenth century and late through chitrakars must have been affected in his work by the new style of drawing on palm leaf he continued his work following conventions practiced for generations. Even through some chitrakars may have illustrated some palm leaf manuscripts writing and illumination was mostly done by scribe and artists belonging to other casted like Brahmin, Karan Vsaishya etc.