A meaningful example of Bengali folk art, the earthen pot or the Manasa Ghot is a painted vessel in a peculiar shape and form. The Manasa Ghat is mostly found in the Bankura and Garbeta areas of Medinipur District in the state of West Bengal. And particularly in eastern Bengal, in the district of Barishal, there is the practise of offering prayers to this earthen pot as a gesture of worshipping the Goddess Manasa.
Description of Manasa Ghat
It is known that traditionally Manasa Devi is not worshipped with an image. Usually a branch of a tree, an earthen pot or the image of an earthen snake is used to worship the goddess. The Manasa Ghat has a symbolic meaning and it is said after the Partition of India in 1947, some of these artisans who painted the Manasa Ghats shifted to West Bengal. Thus, the most number of painted earthen pots are found in the different areas of North 24 Parganas District.
The Manasa Ghats are known to be quite long in shape and the paintings engraved on these pots hold a deep significant meaning. The artisans are skilled and use the projected rim, which serves as the mouth of the Ghat as an ornamental headpiece for the goddess. The deity"s hands are clenched into fists and are shown gripping a snake. The design of snakes with expanded hoods is used to serve as the ornaments of the deity. The artists use colours like yellow, vermillion and designs motifs of lotus, which serve as the seat for the goddess and even swans on either side of the deity.
The Manasa Ghat is one of the unique examples of folk art in Bengal.
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