Jitendra Sahoo

Jitendra Sahoo is a Pattachitra artist working in the centuries-old scroll-painting tradition of Odisha, one of India's oldest surviving folk art forms. Practiced for generations around Puri and its neighbouring artisan villages, Pattachitra takes its name from patta (cloth) and chitra (picture) — canvases hand-prepared with tamarind paste and chalk, then painted using natural pigments drawn from stone, shell, lamp soot, and plant extracts.

Jeetendra's work carries forward this tradition's distinctive vocabulary: intricate line work, bold natural colour, and richly patterned borders framing scenes from Odia mythology, temple lore, and everyday rural life. Each piece is built through slow, deliberate layering — a process that can take days to complete a single composition — reflecting a discipline passed down through apprenticeship rather than formal training.

Through his practice, Jeetendra continues a living heritage that has endured since the temple traditions of Puri, keeping an ancient visual language present in contemporary homes and collections.