Manimala started painting Patachitra under the guidance of her grandfather Dukhushyam Chitrakar who is her guru. She is the first woman from Naya who ventured out of her home to showcase her talent. After her marriage in Chandipur she began to organized artists there and taught Patachitra painting and songs to them. She returned to Naya, Pingla and involved herself in the art form. She has acted in a Jatra in her village. She has travelled to Kolkata, Santiniketan, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Bhopal. Her works are on display in the gallery of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sanghralay in Bhopal.She has travelled abroad in Boston (2005) participated in an exhibition and conducted a workshop, Bangkok (2006), London and Liverpool (2010). She was awarded by Rabindra Bharati University in 2001.
Manimala Chitrakar had travelled to Hungary to showcase her work in the Hungarian Heritage House at Budapest in 2019
Manimala Chitrakar had exhibited her work and conducted workshops in London and Liverpool in 2010