Tell us what you want
Pick a state, then a piece — or describe what you're after if it isn't in the gallery yet. These artists have been painting the same stories for years; describe it and they'll know it.
India's traditional art, state by state
India's oldest stories, still painted by hand.
Chitrasutra is a shopfront for the artists who still make things the way they've always been made — by hand, over weeks, and signed by the person who painted them. Nothing here is a print, and nothing is ever bought wholesale. We're starting in Odisha, with more states of India on the way.
About Chitrasutra
Started while looking for what came next.
Good art does not always begin in a gallery. Sometimes it begins in a small studio, at a kitchen table or in a quiet corner of someone's home — created by an artist with something genuine to express, but few opportunities to reach people beyond their immediate circle.
This started on a family trip, not in a business plan. In June 2025 my father and I drove out to see the Konark Sun Temple, and stopped at a Pattachitra village on the way — that story, in full, lives on the Odisha page.
Chitrasutra is a personal initiative driven by Sandhya and Shantanu — S&S. Our professional world is rooted in data science, analysis and problem-solving, but our passion has always been drawn to art, creativity and the people behind it. We started this platform with a simple belief: remarkable talent should not remain unseen simply because an artist lacks access, representation or the right network.
We work directly with independent artists across India and introduce their original paintings to the world — to anyone who wants something more meaningful than mass-produced wall décor. Every piece is selected for its character, craftsmanship and story — not because the artist has a famous name or gallery representation.
We want buying original art to feel approachable, personal and transparent. Each painting is presented with clear information about the artist, medium, dimensions and expected price. Works offered through the platform are accompanied by an artist-signed certificate of authenticity, supported by photographs and a recorded artwork ID.
We are still at an early stage, and currently listening to prospective collectors before formally launching. Exploring the collection or registering interest does not create an obligation to purchase. It simply helps us understand the art people connect with, the questions they have, and the experience they expect.
This is more than a commercial idea for us. It is an effort to give talented Indian artists a wider canvas, greater visibility and a fair opportunity to be discovered beyond borders.
For India's Artists.
From Indians.
If a painting stays with you after you leave the page, we would love to know.
— Sandhya & Shantanu, Chitrasutra
The artist sets the price
No wholesale, no bargaining down a family's month of work. Whatever the artist asks is what you pay.
Nothing is ever printed
Every piece is hand-painted and signed by the person who made it. If it can be printed, it doesn't belong on this site.
One state, done properly
We only open a state after sitting in the workshop ourselves. Odisha is open. Three more are on the way.
How this works
Made after you ask, not before.
The details differ a little by state and by craft, but the shape of it is always the same — nothing gets made until you've asked for it.
We take it to the artist
We confirm who's free, what they'll charge and how long they'll need. You get their name and a firm quote before any money moves.
It's made, start to finish, by hand
Every piece is made to order — nothing is ever sitting in a warehouse waiting to be sold. However long the craft genuinely takes, that's how long it takes.
Packed with care, and sent to you
Finished, photographed for you, and packed however that particular craft actually travels safely — rolled, boxed, or wrapped, whatever the piece needs.
Odisha's process, in the full Pattachitra-specific detail, is on the Odisha page.
The map
One state at a time.
We open a state only after we have sat in the workshop, watched the work being made and agreed the price with the artist directly. Odisha is open. The others are on the road.
Puri district
Odisha
Pattachitra & palm-leaf etching
Cloth stiffened with tamarind seed paste, painted with brushes made from animal hair and finished with lacquer. Jagannath is everywhere.
Open · 15 paintings
Enter →
Bhilwara & Shahpura
Rajasthan
Phad scrolls & miniature painting
Long horizontal scrolls that a singer unrolls at night to narrate a hero's whole life, lit by a lamp.
Next in line
Preview →
Bastar
Chhattisgarh
Dhokra metal & Gond painting
Bell metal cast the way it was cast four thousand years ago, and forests drawn entirely out of dots and dashes.
In conversation
Preview →
Majuli
Assam
Sanchipat manuscript painting
Illustrated manuscripts painted on treated bark inside the river-island monasteries of the Brahmaputra.
On the list
Preview →
Mithila in Bihar and the Patua scroll-singers of Bengal are next after these. If your family's craft belongs on this map, write to us — or if you're an artist yourself, that same address reaches us.
Get in touch
Questions, press, or you're an artist — write to us.
This is for everything that isn't yet a specific commission — general questions, partnership or press enquiries, or artists who'd like to be part of Chitrasutra. Looking to commission a painting instead? Head to the Odisha collection and use the form there.
Write to teamchitrasutra@gmail.com
We reply within a day, usually sooner.
Put something in your home that a machine could not make.
Look through what the Odisha artists have already painted, or write to us directly with the story you want on your wall.
See the Odisha collection