Madhubani Art
Madhubani Art
Madhubani paintings originated in the Mithila region of Bihar. Some of the initial
references to the Madhubani painting can be found in the Hindu epic Ramayana
when King Janaka, Sita’s father, asks his painters to create Madhubani paintings for
his daughter’s wedding. The knowledge was passed down from generation to
generation and the paintings began to adorn the houses of the region. The women
of the village practiced these paintings on the walls of their respective home. Their
paintings often illustrated their thoughts, hopes and dreams.
Over time, Madhubani paintings became a part of festivities and special events like
weddings. Slowly, this art attracted connoisseurs of art as many contemporary Indian
artists took the art on global stage. The traditional base of plastered mud wall was
soon replaced by handmade paper, cloth and canvas. Since the paintings have
been confined to a limited geographical range, the themes as well as the style are
more or less, the same.
Madhubani Painting was generally used for decorating mud walls during festivals,
weddings and other occasions. Apparently, while inspecting the damage after a
major Bihar earthquake in 1934, William Archer, the then collector stumbled upon
wall and floor paintings for the first time and managed to photograph them. It was
widely reported by several publications. But it was only in 1966 when the region
experienced major draught, that the All India Handicrafts Board sent an artist, Baskar
Kulkarni, to Madhubani to encourage women to make these paintings on paper
(instead of walls), so that they could generate some income from this art form. Some
of the greatest artists of this art form include Sita Devi and Ganga Devi.
Madhubani paintings were initially practiced by different sects of
people and hence the paintings were categorized into five
different styles, such as Tantrik, Kohbar, Bharni, Godna, Katchni.
But today, these five different styles have been merged by
contemporary artists. The themes used in these paintings often
revolve around Hindu deities like Krishna, Rama, Lakshmi, Shiva,
Durga and Saraswati. Also, heavenly bodies like the Sun and the
Moon often form the centerpiece of Madhubani paintings.
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.
This technique requires simple raw materials that are easily located in villages
such as bamboo sticks, natural colors and cotton. Vegetable colors
are used for painting. Turmeric, rice powder, KumKum, juices of certain brightly
colored flowers, henna leaves, lime , soot etc, are used to make these paints.
This painting is done with a variety of tools, including fingers, twigs, brushes,
nib-pens, and matchsticks and using natural dyes and pigments.
The paintings were traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls
and floors of huts, but now they are also done on cloth, handmade
paper and canvas. Madhubani paintings are made from the paste
of powdered rice. ... Madhubani paintings use two-dimensional
imagery, and the colors used are derived from plants.
The Madhubani painting tradition played a key role in the conservation
efforts in India in 2012, where there was frequent deforestation in the state
of Bihar. Shashthi Nath Jha, who runs the Gram Vikas Parishad, an NGO,
started the initiative as an attempt to protect local trees that were being
cut down in the name of expanding roads and development. The main
reason behind this was that the trees were traditionally adorned with forms
of gods and other religious and spiritual images such as those of Radha-
Krishna, Rama-Sita, scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata and other
mythologies.
• Madhubani painting received official recognition in 1969 when Sita Devi received
the State award by Government of Bihar.
Jagdamba Devi was the first artist from Mithila to receive a National Award in
Mithila paintings.
• In 1975, the President of India gave the Padma Shri award to Jagdamba Devi,
and the National Award to Sita Devi of Jitwarpur village near Madhubani.
• Sita Devi received the Padma Shri in 1981. She was also awarded by Bihar
Ratna in 1984 and Shilp Guru in 2006.
• In 1984 Ganga Devi was awarded by Padma Shri. Mahasundari Devi received
the Padma Shri in 2011.
• Godavari Dutta received the Padma Shri in 2019. She was also recived the
Shilp Guru in 2006 and National Award in 1980.
Madhubani painting has remained confined to a compact
geographical area and the skills have been passed on through
centuries, the content and the style have largely remained the
same. Thus, Madhubani painting has received GI (Geographical
Indication) status.
New Delhi: In his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi lauded the women self-help groups in Bihar for
making masks depicting Madhubani paintings. These masks have
gained popularity during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Modi said, “This Madhubani mask not only propagates tradition but
also provides employment to the people ensuring health and
safety.”mic.
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