Jagannath

The Kalighat pat artists did not hesitate in adopting new techniques they were exposed to in Calcutta as capital of the fledgling British empire. This work, Jagannath, for instance, is distinctive for its folk stylisation of the facial features, Mughal miniatures-inspired jewellery and crowns, and the Western element of curtain in the background. The title of the work, Jagannath, refers to Krishna (‘the black one’) in his avatar as the presiding deity of the Jagannath temple, Puri, Odisha, whose massive annual ‘Rath Yatra’ (chariot procession) with brother Balram and sister Subhadra (shown in the image) gave birth to the English word juggernaut.