Mythic Imageries: Reading a Narrative Scroll of Santhal Creation Myth – Rahul Majumder

In the eastern Indian states of West Bengal and Jharkhand, an indigenous community of artisans paints narrative scrolls of mythical and religious tales as their hereditary craft, much akin to the Bengal patachitra tradition, conventionally known as Jadupatuas, Patkars, Pytkars, Patidaars, or Majhii Patuas. Jadupatuas area vernacular artisan community of disputed origin and social stature.Primarily male members are associated with the narrative scrolls, which reflect their clientele’s oral and popular religious events, both Santhals and lower-caste Hindus. They usually live in the vicinity of a Santhal village as they operate within the Santhal community, showing their narrative scrolls in exchange for rice and other gifts. The community’s marginal social stature is a product of its ambiguous historiography, predominantly due to the remoteness of their settlements from large cities. Thus, ambiguous historiography reinforces their seemingly vague ethnographical origins

Nowadays, Jadupatuas living in remote rural villages like Majuramura, Kenda and Bhadsa in Purulia have taken Chitrakar as their surname and no longer identify as Jadupatua. In recent times, most of them shifted to other daily wage jobs of physical labours. In Amadubi village of Jharkhand and Noadihi village of Bankura, the remaining practising Jadupatuas too have adopted the Chitrakar title, despite being known as Patkars amongst the natives.

The pictorial repertoire of the Jadupatuas is limited in numbers. It primarily deals in themes like Santhals festivals and oral legends, Hindu mythological tales, and legends, Jom patachitra or imageries of helltortures and scrolls depicting Santhal origin story. However, Jadupatuas are typically known for their ‘Chokkhu daan’ (Chakshudaan) pattachitra- a type of chouko (square/rectangle shaped) scroll associated with the funerary ritual of Santhals. To put it simply, when a Santhal dies, a Jadupatua comes to the deceased’s residence and shows the kin an image of the departed. The representative image lacks an iris. The Jadupatua claims the departed will blindly wander in the otherworld unless his/her relatives donate some money or other commodities to the Jadupatua for him to perform the act of chakshudan. In this semimagical ritual, Jadupatuas become funeral priests by performing chakshu dana, or the bestowal of sight.