Eminent Pattachitra artist Ananta Maharana passed away at his ancestral village of Dandasahi at Raghurajpur in Puri district on Tuesday morning.The President award recipient painter died after protracted illness. He was 88. A pall of gloom descended on the famous craft village of Raghurajpur after Maharana’s demise.
The Shilpa Guru had begun his work at a tender age of eight. He was a recipient of numerous awards, including the Kandarpa Ratha conferred by the Odisha lalit Kala Akaddemi.
It may be mentioned here Pattachitras are paintings on cotton, silk and palm leaves depicting mythological and folk themes with Krishna leela and lord Jagannath being their important motifs.