Madhubani Paintings

Madhubani paintings have transcended the humble homes of North Bihar villages and have become a regularly featured and highly sought after folk-art work in the international art circuit. Although practiced all over the Mithila region of North Bihar, Madhubani paintings have their roots in Madhubani (literally, the wood of honey), a small village in the Mithila region. Bihar's Madhubani paintings are linear, two-dimensional works with mainly religious but secular themes.

Mithila has an ancient tradition of decorative painting as is obvious by the stunning wall paintings of the region. Madhubani also has its roots in the wall and paintings of Mithila. Madhubani paintings in Bihar are typically executed by women on canvasses, cloths and papers, using traditional and vibrant colors. The lines are fluid and the motifs have been passed down by ages.

The themes of Madhubani paintings are varied, although scenes from Hindu mythology still dominate. Events from Ramayana and the life of Krishna are the most commonly executed themes in the Madhubani paintings of Bihar. Other gods and goddesses also recur in the paintings frequently. The ardhanariswar is a specialty of Madhubani paintings. Madhubani paintings at Bihar also venerates the sun and moon and treat them as divinities in their paintings.

Some extremely charming Madhubani paintings are those of the symbolic and the secular types. Though less numerous than the religious paintings, they are unsurpassed in spontaneity and grace. Scenes from the rural life often feature in these paintings. Women involved in various village activities, like drawing water from a well, carrying baskets on their heads or a village vagrant playing a flute are common themes of these types. The number of symbolic paintings also abound, the tree signifying life and vitality and the fish signifying fertility are the most common symbols of Madhubani art.