Vibrant Folk Art of Mithila

Shalu Kumari
s
 CONTENTS
SD

 Introduction
 Historical backdrop-Echoes from
the past.
 Origin and evolution.
 Style and designs.
 Techniques of painting: A labour
of love.
 Themes of painting: Varied and
Timeless.
 Madhubani murals:Writings on
the wall.
 Notable Madhubani Artists
 Innovation
 Modern times
 conclusion
 upholstery, tableware and sold as
ABSTRACT artwork for modern homes and
The document traces the interiors. Novel themes have
historical journey of a unique art- found a place in the art to give it
form, that of the paintings of a new appeal.
walls, floor spaces and on the
medium of paper, of Madhubani
painting, referring to the place
from where it became famous
from the region of Mithila in
North Bihar. The land of its
origin being India, the social and
cultural context is also explored.
It aims to document the art of
Madhubani Painting and its
contemporary ideation . The
painting style has ancient origins
and it has caught the eye of both
Indians and foreign art
enthusiasts. Now the art form
finds expression in walls of
public places like railway
stations, in addition to traditional
spaces during social events.
There have been National Award
Winning artists and the art has
made long journeys. The art has
combined both the traditional
and contemporary themes and
been transferred to apparel,
INTRODUCTION
Madhubani painting is one of the
many famous Indian art forms.
As it is practiced in the Mithila
region of Bihar and Nepal, it is
called Mithila or Madhubani art.
Often characterized by complex
geometrical patterns, these
paintings are known for
representing ritual content for
particular occasions, including
festivals, religious rituals, etc. 
HISTORICAL
since
BACKDROP:Echoes
from the past
many
This centurie
vibrant s in
art of some
Madhub parts of
ani art is Bihar in
being India; in
created fact
there is vibrant
no art of
concrete Madhub
evidence ani art is
as to being
when it created
actually since
began. many
This centurie
s in evidence
some as to
parts of when it
Bihar in actually
India; in began.
fact This
there is vibrant
no art of
concrete Madhub
ani art is Bihar in
being India; in
created fact
since there is
many no
centurie concrete
s in evidence
some as to
parts of when it
actually since
began. many
This centurie
vibrant s in
art of some
Madhub parts of
ani art is Bihar in
being India; in
created fact
 legacy. Mithila being the birth

there is place of queen Sita, the

extraordinary tales of Madhubani
art find its ancient ties in the

no
mythical lore of Ramayana, with
frequent depictions of her life
stories. Madhubani designs
essentially depict scenes of royal

concrete
courtyard, and Indian weddings,
marriages and symbols of
fertility and prosperity with
dominance of motifs like fish,

evidence parrot, elephant, turtle, sun,

moon, bamboo tree, lotus, etc. To
maintain the creativity and
precision, Madhubani paintings

as to are made from the powdered rice

paste, using fingers, nib-pens,
brushes, match sticks and twigs,

when it
Dyes obtained from trees, fruits,
flowers and spices are used to
add colors. The art has become
more visible and the elite of

actually
Bihar has responded well to the
popularity of art form and looked
at it as an expression of their
cultural heritage.

began.
S. Ghosh
Madhubani carries a rich cultural
Aripan

The art of Aripan or drawings on

the floor is a legacy, handed
down through the generations.
The aripana is an important part
of occasions and during festivals.
The women get to learn and
execute the aripans as they learn
it as a part of growing up,
naturally. The main lady who
does the drawing is called
aripana denihari. Aripans are
traditionally made with a mix of
rice powder and water called
pithara. They are made at the
courtyard , at the entrance of the
house among other places.
Aripanas symbolizes the
presence of Shakti. The aripanas
are closely related to tantaric
cults. It is a ceremonial art and
done on occasions like the thread
ceremony, marriage, batsartli, a
symbol of long life.
execute the aripans as they learn does the drawing is called
it as a part of growing up, aripana denihari.
naturally. The main lady who
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION
Madhubani paintings can trace their origin to wall paintings mentioned
in Hindu oral traditions. The origins of Madhubani Paintings are
shrouded in antiquity, and a tradition states that this style of painting
originated at the time of the Ramayana, when king Janak commissioned
artists to do paintings at the time of marriage of his daughter SITA, to
Hindu Lord RAM.
Madhubani painting has been done traditionally by the women of
villages around the present town Madhubani, the literal meaning of
which is forest of honey and the areas of mithila.
The All India Handicrafts Board, encouraged the women of Madhubani
to paint on paper instead of walls and floor to facilitate the sale of
paintings.
Outstanding artists such as Jagdamba Devi, Sita Devi, Mahasundari
Devi, Ookha Devi, Baua Devi and Karpoori Devi and many more were
discovered.
Credit goes to Pupul jaykar, Bhaskar Kulkarni, Upendra Maharathi
and Lalit Narayan Mishra for popularizing the painting both in country
and abroad.
STYLES AND DESIGNS
Madhubani art has five distinctive styles: Bharni, Kachni, Tantrik,
Godna and Kohbar.
The style of painting varies from village to village. The ones made by
the upper-castes, Brahmin and kayasthas have a unique quality of
space.there are small and large figures juxtaposed with each other. The
symbols used in the paintings resemble those on pottry found at
Harappa, an important india valley civilization site.
The art of Madhubani has three basic styles with regards to the caste
system.The first one is by the Brahmins. They are regarded as the
highest among the three castes. Their paintings have vibrant colors and
religious motifs of various gods. Since they has easy access to sacred
texts, it helped them portray the mythological and religious motifs with
ease. The second one is by the Kayasthas. They were second to the
Brahmins in the hierarchy of caste. Their style of painting symbolized
fertility. The style has been practiced the the Aryan invader’s era and
included motifs symbolizing procreation. Some common motifs used by
them are lotus plant, sacred symbols, fish, tortoises, parrots and birds.
The third one were the Dusadhs. They were a low caste group who were
banned from using any religious motif in their art. Their style of painting
is also known as Tattoo or Godhana painting. Common motifs of flora
and fauna can be seen in their art. With time as the social acceptance
widened, they have now started painting motifs of gods. Interestingly,
their use of vibrant colors is quite similar to the Brahmin style of
painting.
Doll Kahar or ina Palanquin,
by Krishnakant Jha, in the Bharni
style.
TECHNIQUES OF
PAINTING: A
labour of love.
The wall surfaces are prepared by
plastering with cow dung or first
white-washed on which paintings
are made. The paints were
previously prepared but now they
are procured from villages from
the market town of Madhubani,
Purnea with the supply coming
from Kolkata. The colors used
are gulabi,nila,sindura,suga-
pankhi(green).
 Painting
MADHUBANI
Kohbar made by artist Padma
MURALS:Writing
on the Walls
The folk paintings of Mithila
region are made on walls, the
murals are what is commonly
understood as Madhubani
painting. These paintings are
made on the walls of houses. It
is a feminine art mostly made by
Shri Sita Devi.
woman who are housewives. The
wall paintings in Mithila homes
are mostly executed on the wall
of three places, the ghosain-ba-
ghara, room of the family diety,
the kohbara ghara: room for
newly weds and kohbara ghar ka
koniyan, the verandah outside the
kohbara. The kohbara room has
paintings of mostly of Mural at Madhubani Railway
mythological stories and legends station.
made of red colored mineral
pigment, gairika. Not all pictures
are narrative in nature, some
depicts nature, plants and
animals.
Kohbara, Madhubani
 with new techniques and
INNOVATION narratives while retaining
Madhubani art celebrates
every occasion and
festival like wedding,
Kali Puja, Durga Puja,
Holi, and many more.
Conventionally, this art
was done to decorate and
add colors to homes. But
with changing times, it is the roots of their traditional
now even done on style.
clothing,
handmade papier-mâché
products and wall
paintings. Universally
known as the women’s
art, today the creative
world is seeing a gender
shift where men are seen
adding their artistic touch
to this traditional art form.
Paper stands, magazine
case, games of Ludo,
and jewellery boxes made
of papier-mâché, book
marks are painted with
Madhubani designs. The
artists are experimenting
Universally known as the
women’s art, today the creative
world has witnessed a gender
shift where men are seen adding
their artistic touch to this
traditional art form. In modern
times, fashion gurus are going
back to the rich textile heritage of
this art and reviving this art by
designing Madhubani sarees,
dupattas, and Indo-western
dresses.
At numerous fashion weeks,
designers have showcased a
color-filled collection of
Madhubani designs. From sarees,
salwar kameez, long skirts
and palazzo pants are beautifully
designed in Madhubani art.
Conventionally, this art was done
to decorate and add colors to
homes. But with changing times,
it is now even done on handmade
papier-mâché products and wall
paintings. Paper stands,
magazine case, games of Ludo,
and jewelry boxes made of
papier-mâché, book marks, and
wall hangings are painted with
Madhubani designs.
Madhubani Painting in Artist Bharti Dayal owns a
Modern Times studio in New Delhi.
Madhubani railway station
got complete makeover
Madhubani art is an
with Mithila paintings. The
important part of the life of
makeover project was
people in a village called
unique initiative of Indian
Ranti in present day Bihar.
Railways to experiment
The women who practice
with local artists voluntarily
this art form in the village
painting works in short
use it as an opportunity to
span of two months. More
create awareness on social
than 225 artists, 80% of
issues and to empower
them women, volunteered
women. Artists like Karpuri
to paint.
Devi, Mahalaxmi and
Dulari are playing key roles
in teaching other women
the importance of
Madhubani painting. Their
works are displayed in a
museum in Japan. Also,
there are several institutions
near Mithila that teach Patna is looking prettier
Madhubani paintings to than ever these days, thanks
young artists. Some of the to the gorgeous and
major centers that teach this colourful Madhubani
art form are Benipatti in paintings and murals
Madhubani district, Gram adorning the city walls!
Vikas Parishad in Ranti and The capital of Bihar just got
Vaidehi in Madhubani. a makeover; now, the
historically rich city of
Patna is painted in The Mithilasmita, Is An
traditional Madhubani
colours. In this initiative by
the Bihar government, a
number of folk Madhubani
painting artists were
employed.
The initiative was also a
medium to inform and Organization With An Art
educate people about Gallery Located In
Bihar’s rich cultural Bengaluru, India.‘Mithila
diversity and golden past. Museum’, Hosted Which
By painting the city walls, Has Over 850 Madhubani
the government is also Paintings. However, In The
discouraging people from Town Of Madhubani Itself,
spitting and dirtying public There Is ‘Mithila Art
areas in general. Not only Institute’. It Works For The
this, some of the most Upbringing Of Madhubani
prominent and globally- Paintings Online And Also
acclaimed artists are also For The Training Of Young
associated with the state And Budding Artists.
government in this
initiative and are creating
meaningful murals
together.
On The Brighter Side, Many
NGOs And Art Galleries
Have Come Up To Preserve
The Impressive Art From.
Transformation
Madhubani painting is the
main folk painting of
Mithilanchal. Initially, these
paintings were made on the
courtyard and walls like a
Rangoli. Then gradually it
came down to the clothes,
walls and paper. Men also
adopted these folk paintings
introduced by the women of
Mithila.
Initially, these paintings
were made from clay in huts.
But now, they are made on
fabric or paper canvas.
These paintings contain
images of deities, nature, and
the day-to-day life of the
people. The Sun, moon,
waterfalls, weddings, Gods-
Goddesses are some of the
common images that you
will see in these paintings.