A Study on Cultural Sustainable Tourism in Context of Painted Scrolls

Abstract

India is known for its reach in Art and Culture. Cultural tourism provides a major contribution to the development of the country from different aspects. Apart from supporting the Indian economy, cultural tourism also helps in preserving and developing unique art traditions which are slowly dying out due to negligence. patachitra, the painted scroll of Bengal is one of them. The patachitra tradition is an essential part of intangible heritage based on tour practices. Patuas, as they are known as a community, chiefly represent a group of artists wandering with their painted scrolls and narrating the stories from place to place to earn their livelihood. The patachitra is a platform where several mediums of communication are united such as visual messages, oral traditions and music during process of storytelling. These painted scrolls represent narration of Hindu mythologies as well as folklore. In this regard, considering business as one of the purposes of tour, this research about patua artists working for patachitra in West Bengal is an attempt to reveal the fact that artifacts, as a part of culture, and tourism are two sides of the same coin. The existence of one is essential for the survival of the other.

Keywords

• Art
• Heritage
• Tourism