Assam: Sujit Das’ ‘Dashavatar’ Selected for 65th National Exhibition of Art

A CORRESPONDENT

NAGAON: Assam’s rich and centuries-old tradition of illustrated manuscript painting has achieved a significant national recognition with the selection of artiste Sujit Das’s ‘Dashavatar’ for the 65th National Exhibition of Art, 2026, organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

The inclusion of Assam’s traditional ‘Sanchipat Puthi Chitra’ in this prestigious national exhibition for the first time is being regarded as an important milestone in the cultural and artistic history of Assam.

The roots of Assam’s manuscript and illustrated painting tradition are deeply connected with the cultural renaissance initiated by Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva, the great saint, scholar, social reformer, and cultural icon of Assam. His pioneering Neo-Vaishnavite movement brought together literature, music, drama, dance, visual expression, and manuscript traditions, creating a distinctive cultural identity for Assam. The tradition of illustrated manuscripts, particularly the use of Sanchipat for preserving and presenting literary and religious narratives, forms an important part of this wider cultural heritage.

       Against this historic backdrop, the selection of Sujit Das’s ‘Dashavatar’ at the national level assumes special significance. It is not merely the recognition of an individual artwork; it represents the re-emergence of an important traditional art form of Assam on the contemporary national art platform.

The artwork has been created on Sanchipat, the traditional writing and painting material prepared from the bark of the Agar tree, using traditional pigments such as Hengul, Haital, Dholmati, and Neel. The work depicts the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu in the distinctive visual language of Assam’s traditional Puthi Chitra. The characteristic lines, compositions, decorative elements, and narrative approach reflect the artistic heritage associated with Assam’s illustrated manuscript tradition.

       Artist Sujit Das has been working for over 25 years towards the preservation, documentation, practice, and teaching of Assam’s traditional Puthi Chitra. His sustained efforts have helped bring this comparatively lesser-known art tradition to wider national and international audiences.

 In 2014–15, Sujit Das received the National Junior Fellowship for his work related to Assam’s Puthi Chitra. He subsequently received the National Senior Fellowship for 2025–26, further strengthening his research and documentation work on the rare illustrated manuscripts of Assam.

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