The Saura Painting Tradition (Ikon Art) of Koraput District, Odisha
Introduction: The Saura Tribe and Koraput Region The Saura (Saora or Savara) are an ancient Adivasi tribe predominantly inhabiting southern Odisha. Their primary concentration is in the Rayagada, Gajapati and Koraput districts of the Eastern Ghats . Koraput district itself is a remote, hilly region (8,807 km²) with dense forests and over 50% tribal population . In Koraput and neighboring areas, Sauras live in small forest hamlets practicing shifting cultivation (jhum), fishing, and hill farming . Ethnographers note that Koraput’s tribal villages often lie on steep jungle slopes with houses of bamboo and mud, their walls coated in red earth . In these villages, Saura homes are decorated with ritual mural art: as one study observes, the Sauras (like Kondhs and Koyas) “decorate their houses with motifs of flowers, birds, and geometrical designs,” creating paintings intimat...