Patachitra or Pattachitra is a general term for traditional, cloth-based scroll painting, based in the eastern Indian states of Odisha, West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh. Patachitra artform is known for its intricate details as well as mythological narratives and folktales inscribed in it. Patachitras are a component of an ancient Bengali narrative art, originally serving as a visual device during the performance of a song.
In the Sanskrit, paṭṭa means "cloth" and chitra means "picture". Most of these paintings depict stories of Hindu deities.
The Bengal Patachitra is divided into some different aspects like Durga Pat, Chalchitra, Tribal Patachitra, Medinipur Patachitra, and Kalighat Patachitra. The subject matter of Bengal Patachitra is mostly mythological, religious stories, folk lore and societal. The artist of the Bengal Patachitra is called Patua.