Naya, Pingla
নয়া, পিংলা
Paschim Medinipur district · Tagore Country & Rarh
The village of singing scroll painters.
About Naya, Pingla
In Naya nearly every house belongs to a patua family: artists who paint long scrolls with natural colours and sing the story as they unroll them. The walls of the village are painted too. Visitors can sit with the artists, hear the songs and buy scrolls, saris and painted objects directly. A village festival, Pot Maya, is held each November.
Highlights
- Scroll painters singing their pats
- Painted house walls
- Workshops on natural colours
- The Pot Maya festival in November
Plan your trip
- Best time
- October to March.
- How to reach
- Train from Howrah to Balichak (about 2 hours), then about 20 km by bus or hired car.
- Suggested stay
- Day trip or 1 night in a village homestay
- Distance from Kolkata
- About 130 km by road
- Travel time
- 3 hours
- Nearest railway station
- Balichak
- Budget
- Budget
- Culture
- Patachitra scroll painting and the songs that go with it.
- Travel responsibly
- Buy directly from the artists and ask before photographing people and homes.
Tip
Pay the artist’s asking price where you can: this is their livelihood.
Nearby and related destinations
- Jhargram & Kankrajhore: Sal forests and a royal town in the west. (about 170 km from Kolkata, nearest station Jhargram)
- Tamluk & Mahishadal: An ancient port and a rajbari with a museum. (about 100 km from Kolkata, nearest station Tamluk or Mahishadal)
- Shantiniketan: Rabindranath Tagore's university town. (about 160 km from Kolkata, nearest station Bolpur Shantiniketan)
- Bishnupur: Terracotta temples of the Malla kings. (about 140 km from Kolkata, nearest station Bishnupur)
Part of these guides
Distances and travel times are approximate road figures from central Kolkata. Check timings, permits and road conditions before you travel.