With mass produced glossy posters replacing hand-painted posters during festivities, this Chitrakar couple wonder how long it will take before they paint their last poster

Kathmandu

The Chitrakars of the Newar clan are responsible for creating religious artworks needed for various festivals in the Valley. From painting on paper to working as mural artists in temples, they create diverse artworks. But modernity has affected the work of these traditional painters. The paper paintings, required in festivals like Gaijatra, Nag Panchami and Laxmi Puja among others, are being replaced by printed posters, thus threatening this ancestral occupation of Chitrakars. Very few remain today who have been continuing the legacy of Chitrakars.

The legacy

The Chitrakars prepare a headgear made of bamboo during Gaijatra. Then they paint a cow’s face on the paper and paste it on the front of the headgear. At the back, a paper with the painting of Lord Ganesha, along with colourful paper flags and fans are pasted.

Explaining these diverse motifs painted by the Chitrakars, cultural expert Dr Chunda Bajracharya elaborates, “In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped for luck. That’s why the image of Ganesha is there. And due to lack of actual cow required in the Gaijatra procession, the tradition of using children as symbol of cow began. And these children put on the headgear with the image of a cow pasted on its front.”

During Nag Panchami, poster/paintings with motifs of snakes, half-human half-snake forms, Lord Krishna sitting or standing on multi-headed snake, insects, frog and more are pasted on the front door of a house. In the background, green hills, trees and water bodies are seen. Among others, paintings of eight interlocked snakes, Naag worshipped by Naag Kanya and Lord Krishna on multi-headed Naag are popular during Nag Panchami, according to Sarada Chitrakar, Vice-Chancellor of Nepal Academy of Fine Arts.

About the significance of the motifs used, Dr Bajracharya explains, “The images and motifs used in the paintings for Nag Panchami signify the importance of environment. The use of frogs, insects, water and greenery suggests the ecology where the snakes live. And these images reflect the then society.”

The Naag Stotra on the painting is believed to help pacify snakes and get blessings from them, as per Lok.

They have to be made by people from the Chitrakar caste because it is believed that the paintings of Naag made by Chitrakars have divine power and one should use their paintings to gain divine protection, as per Dr Bajracharya.

In the paintings required during Tihar, one can find motifs of Goddess Laxmi, Lord Kuber and mystical being Khyak. About the motifs used, Dr Bajracharya elaborates, “Art is the reflection of society and the motifs used in paintings of Laxmi with traditional utensils like Jwolan Nhyakan (metal mirror with fire flames) and Sinamu (container for vermilion powder) are unique, that are not found in posters made in India. These utensils are used by Newars reflecting their culture. And Lord Kuber and Khyak symbolise the protector and carrier of Laxmi’s treasures respectively.”