The tradition of Madhubani painting originated from ‘Madhubani’, a tiny hamlet in North Bihar, and has been in existence for many centuries. You may ask what is a folk art from Bihar doing in Chennai? That was precisely what we thought and decided to investigate a little further. This century old tradition practised by the women of Madhubani and the...

“Ganga Devi: Tradition and Expression in Mithila Painting” is the title of a special commemorative exhibition in celebration of the first publication of The World of the Late Ganga Devi, the Giant Star of Mithila Paintings, a book on Mithila art by and about its greatest artist, published and authored by Jyotindra Jain, director of the National Craft...

Artistic activity among all tribal cultures is an integral part of life. It has a well defined function socially, evolving from their interaction with nature and interpretation of its mysteries. It usually serves as a channel of communication with non-human forces, spiritual or otherwise. Maithili painting, known for their vibrant lines and striking colours, age...

The Mithila paintings derive from an ancient cultural region in northern Bihar where women’s paintings have been used to consecrate space for human habitation and ritual purposes for many generations. In this region, a sharp contrast is drawn between ritual, consecrated space and the ordinary space inhabited by dangerous spirits where chaos reigns. In addition...

Jul 4, 2011

Mithila is known to all of us as the birthplace of Sita, wife of Rama. Another name for Sita is Mythili. But it may be less known that there is a whole school of painting known as Mithila or Madhubani painting. Mithila, named after Sita or Mythili, has a matriarchal society. The painting is done entirely by women. Girls learn the art at a young age from their...