The first glance at the facade of any single Orissan temple will indicate that this is a land of artistic skill unsurpassed in the world. The discovery that traditional artists still live and work throughout Orissa, producing various objects in many media, is an exciting part of any visit to the state.

In Orissa, as elsewhere in India, artists traditionally belonged to hereditary guilds. Painting, according to some scholars is as old as Orissa's sculpture. In fact profession-wise, there is originally no distinction between painting and sculpture. The Chitrakars or artists were commissioned by their patrons in all visual arts of their times. The three main categories of Orissan painting, the Bhitichitra or the murals, the Patachitra or the cloth painting and the Pothichitra or the palm-leaf engraving have remained more or less the same in style and subject-matter during any given period of Orissan history. The main subject matter of all these paintings is of Vaishnava origin. Jagannath is the main manifestation of Vishnu in Orissan lore. However, the rise of the Bhakti movement in the 15th century and the rediscovery of Jayadeva's Gita-Govinda too added new themes to Orissan art. From this period onward, we find a large scale visualization of mythology and folklore, including the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Gita, the Shakta Purans, apart from more traditional Radha-Krishna and Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra themes.

Etching and painting on palm leaf is one of the most ancient craft forms not only in Orissa but also in the whole country. In this craft, large drawings are made on the rectangular palm leaves stitched together vertically. The major motifs are drawn from the rich legends, myths and folk-lore of the State. In many ways the traditions followed for palm leaf etching are very much akin to patta paintings. The figures are highly stylised and embody the traditional concept of beauty, having a sharp pointed nose, long eyes and well-proportioned bodies