English: Saura paintings are an integral part of the religious ceremonies of the Saura tribals and are found in the southern Odisha districts of Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati and Koraput. Saura paintings were first studied by the famous anthropologist Verrier Elwin People. Horses, elephants, the sun and the moon and the tree of life are recurring motifs in these ikons. Ikons were originally painted on the walls of the Saura's adobe huts. The paintings' backdrop is prepared from red or yellow ochre earth which is then painted over using brushes fashioned from tender bamboo shoots. Ekons use natural dyes and chromes derived from ground white stone, hued earth, and vermilion and mixtures of tamarind seed, flower and leaf extracts. Sauras are among the most ancient of tribes in India and find mention in the Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Savari, Rama’s devotee in the Ramayana and Jara, the hunter who mortally wounded Krishna with an arrow, are thought to have been members of this tribe.