Botanical Illustrations: Ecological Research in West Bengal In the heart of colonialism, as a branch of its economic activities, botanical art struck roots, and it flourished with the help of immense ecological knowledge of India and the availability of Indian artists who could do this exquisite job of depicting knowledge. A huge collection of original colour paintings of Indian Plants using natural dyes is a legacy preserved in a separate section at the Central National Herbarium in Kolkata. The Indian artists who contributed to this process of documentation were supposedly miniature painters from Mughal and Rajput courts, artists from the Vijayanagara empire, skilled in devotional paintings, also possibly included traditional artists such as kalamkari practitioners. Over the years, a few artist names were recorded: Vishnu Persaud, Gorachand, and Lakshman Singh, and then, through [Henry Noltie’s] work, Rungiah, Govindoo, Haludar, and so on, but many paintings would have no names of artists on them. These artists’ oblivion to wealth they created, covered every detail using dry brush techniques, squirrel’s hair brushes that layered paint in tiny strokes for textural detail, and using natural pigments such as mica, urine from animals for color yellow, and natural dyes- like indigo. The ingenuity of these paintings and painters is unexplainable and depicts an art movement, changing times, and the ecological wealth of India that has changed history. In anticipation of the Raw Mango Kolkata store launch, we trace the palette of Bengal. #traditionalecologicalknowledge #botanicalillustrations #bengal #rawmangokolkata