This monograph is a magnificent document of India's ritual painting based on systematic study of the osakoṭhī ( osa: penance, koṭhī: 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, Singhapurī, Bhīmbeṭka, Jhīrī and elsewhere in India. A close parallel is seen in the contemporary ritual relating to Rathwa mural paintings in Gujarat. In both the cases there is transformation and re-enlivenment of the visual image.