Kalighat Pat is folk painting from the heart of West Bengal, India. This form of painting flourished centuries back around the famous Kalighat temple in Kolkata, which is still visited every year by thousands of devotees.  Wandering scroll painters known as patuas or chitrakars from the districts of Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bankura, Hoogly, Burdwan settled down near the temple to paint for the temple visitors. They depicted gods and goddesses as well as scenes from contemporary life and times, often with a dose of wry humour.
The pat art of the wandering scroll painters dates back to the 12th century and exists till date. These pats or scroll paintings narrate stories based on religious or moral themes illustrating scenes from the Indian mythology and epics. For the entertainment of the village folks the patuas supplemented their paintings with songs or pat gaans. This form of art was created in an attempt to keep the Hindu religion alive in times when it was under threat during the Muslim rule in India. 
The patuas painted on scrolls or patas made from cloth-reinforced paper. The Sanskrit word ‘Patta’ means cloth. Paintings are made on cloth which is treated with cow dung, lac and earth. The outlines of the figures are drawn with black colour which is derived from soot. Colours are extracted from vegetables, leaves and spices.
The Patuas continue to depict the events taking place in the river of time and keep alive the past traditions for the future generations.