Important Notice

Manasa Mangal and the Merchant

20th century
Acrylic on paper pasted on printed cloth
136 x 22 in (345.4 x 55.9 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.

This contemporary scroll in two parts tells the story of Manasa Mangal, a goddess who presides over the snake kingdom, and a merchant who refuses to pray to her as he is a devotee of Shiva. By refusing her, the merchant invites her wrath and is killed by her snakes at his wedding. The merchant is eventually saved by his bride, who tricks the goddess into believing she is paying tribute to her.

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