1. Origins of the Ritual Folk Paintings of South Orissa and the Worship of Painted Icons
2. The Osakothi Ritual : Customs, Terms and Legends
3. Shrines and Murals : The Basic Forms
4. Iconography and Legends
5. The Ritual
6. The Painters of Osakothi Shrines, Their Communities and Major Works
7. Contemporary Trends in the Osakothi Tradition
8. Historic Remarks
9. Summary
10. Appendices I-VII

This monograph is a magnificent document of India's ritual painting, based on systematic study of the osakothi (osa penance, kothi sacred space) murals of Orissa. It explores the rare, rich and meaningful and fast disappearing ritual art of mural painting. The antiquity of this art can be traced to the prehistoric rock-cave paintings of Mirzapur, Singhapuri, Bhimbetka, Jhiri, and elsewhere in India.