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From goddesses to gossip: The many stories of Kalighat paintings

Kalighat paintings began as religious souvenirs but eventually became a record of faith, adaptation, colonial society, and scandal.

Known as Kalighat paintings, these small, single-sheet works did the job of a postcard decades before India’s first official postcard was issued. (Wikimedia Commons/edited by Abhishek Mitra)

8 min read Hyderabad , Lucknow Nov 4, 2026 01:17 PM IST First published on: Nov 4, 2026 at 01:13 PM IST

Written by Devendra Pratap Singh and Shreya Saksena

Very few people leave a temple, a pandal, or a pilgrimage without taking something home. Often, it is a small souvenir: a framed image of a deity, a photograph, or a fridge magnet.…