The Purba Medinipur district was carved out of the erstwhile Medinipur district on January 1, 2002. This district is the hub of  Bengal Patachitra - a tradition of visual story telling. The Medinipur Patachitra is famous for its bold outline, vibrant colours and content which are based on mythological stories and social events. Total 238 Patachitra artists of this district are covered under the RCCH initiative.