Raghurajpur Heritage Crafts Village

Raghurajpur Heritage Crafts Village is a traditional crafts village located about 14 km from Puri in Puri district, Odisha. Recognized as Odisha's first heritage village, it is renowned as the centre of Pattachitra painting and other traditional crafts. Every household functions as a studio where artisans create Pattachitra, palm-leaf engravings, papier-mâché and wooden toys. The village is noted for its mural-painted houses and living artisan traditions linked to Jagannath Temple culture.

Visitors can expect a compact heritage village with two main lanes lined with small houses whose exterior walls are decorated with colourful murals. Each home doubles as a workshop and gallery where artisans demonstrate Pattachitra painting, Talapatra Chitra (palm-leaf engraving), papier-mâché, wood and stone carving, and mask making. Visitors can observe artists at work, interact with families, browse and purchase crafts directly from makers, and occasionally see Gotipua dance performances by young boys trained in the village.

Raghurajpur has a centuries-old artisan tradition linked to the Jagannath Temple in Puri, where Chitrakar families historically created Pattachitra paintings for temple rituals and festivals. With support from INTACH and state tourism agencies, it was developed as Odisha's first heritage village to preserve and promote these hereditary crafts dating back several hundred years.

The village is a living centre of Odisha's traditional arts including Pattachitra, Talapatra Chitra (palm-leaf engraving), papier-mâché, wood carving, stone carving, and Gotipua dance, the precursor to Odissi classical dance. It sustains hereditary artisan communities and showcases mural-decorated homes reflecting Jagannath culture and Odishan folk traditions.