From the Workshop of Niranjan Maharana
A National Award-winning artist plies his trade on ganjifa cards – and more.
Niranjan Maharana’s intricate brushwork comes through in these photos of his dashavatar set, from delicate fish scales and waves of the Matsya (fish) avatar to the ornate palanquins, all confined to the round ganjifa card canvasses less than 3 inches (7.62 cm) in diameter.
Above: Pip and court cards for the Matsya (fish avatar) suit, with black backgrounds and fish pip symbols by Niranjan Maharana.
Above: Pip and court cards for the Kurma (tortoise avatar) suit, with orange backgrounds and tortoise pip symbols by Niranjan Maharana.
Above: Pip and court cards for the Varaha (boar avatar) suit, with green backgrounds and conch shell pip symbols by Niranjan Maharana.
Above: Krishna and the gopis surrounded by smaller illustrations of episodes from Krishna's youth, painted on cloth by Niranjan Maharana.
Ganjapa, as ganjifa is called in Odisha, where Maharana is from, is only a fraction of what Maharana offers in his workshop in Danda Sahi near Puri. The chitrakars – artisans who practice pattachitra painting – apply their crisp, bright strokes to all sorts of items, including cloth canvasses meant to be hung as paintings.
Every inch of their work is covered in miniature designs or, at the very least, geometric shapes. You can see it here (click on the photos to enlarge):
Above: Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra.
Above: A richly detailed marriage scene painted by Niranjan Maharana.
Above: Krishna dancing with Radha and the gopis, painted by Niranjan Maharana.
The beloved Jagannath deity is a form of Krishna, who himself is an avatar of Vishnu. Odisha is the center of Jagannath worship. Each painting took at least a month to complete.
And here are some behind-the-scenes videos of the painting process.
Video: Niranjan Maharana painting a Ganjifa card.
Video: Niranjan Maharana painting the base of a Ganjifa card.
Video: Niranjan Maharana preparing a Ganjifa card.
Video: Niranjan Maharana painting details on a Ganjifa card.
Video: Niranjan Maharana adding details to pip symbols.
Above: Niranjan Maharana painting a Pattachitra artwork in his workshop.
Above: Krishna and the gopis surrounded by smaller illustrations of episodes from Krishna's youth, painted on cloth by Niranjan Maharana.
Footnotes
- All images and videos courtesy of: Niranjan Maharana
By Lev Golinkin
United States • Member since May 26, 2026
I'm a US-based author and journalist. I've been collecting playing cards since I was about 8 years old, when I got mesmerized by the various decks that were used in Soviet Ukraine, where I'm from. I collect mainly European decks such as those by Dondorf, Grimaud, and Piatnik. I love courts above all else, and am drawn toward historical and artistic decks.
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