Important Notice

Santhal Janam Katha

Inscribed in Devnagari (label on verso)
Water based vegetable dyes on paper
117 x 9 in
297.2 x 22.9 cm

'Jadu patua' scrolls represent an ancient story telling tradition of the Santhal people who live in Bihar and West Bengal. The scrolls are painted by itinerant medicine men or minstrels known as 'jadu patuas', which literally translates as magic painters. These artists roam from village to village singing the narratives of their painted scrolls, which are most frequently stories of the Santhal creation myth, the life cycle, death, and finally, the afterlife and underworld. Originally painted on fabric, these contemporary scrolls comprise individual painted paper panels glued or sewn together in a vertical column. The scroll is unrolled in sections to display relevant panels and illustrate the story that is being sung.

'Jadu patua' scrolls represent an ancient story telling tradition of the Santhal people who live in Bihar and West Bengal. The scrolls are painted by itinerant medicine men or minstrels known as 'jadu patuas', which literally translates as magic painters. These artists roam from village to village singing the narratives of their painted scrolls, which are most frequently stories of the Santhal creation myth, the life cycle, death, and finally, the afterlife and underworld. Originally painted on fabric, these contemporary scrolls comprise individual painted paper panels glued or sewn together in a vertical column. The scroll is unrolled in sections to display relevant panels and illustrate the story that is being sung.