Fresco Paintings of South Odisha

Utkal (Odisha) which literally means utkarsha in kala or excelled in art, was famous throughout the world as a vast repertoire of art in different forms. It has a rich and unique heritage of temple building traditions which culminated in the marvel of sculpture and architecture of the Konark Temple where the Odia artists built as giants and finished as jewelers. But when the temple building activities have stopped, paintings have gained momentum. There were thousands and thousands of traditional chitrakaras who kept the fresco painting tradition alive for a long time. Study of the folk art has been a recent trend in historical research. In a sense this can be termed as "History from below".