Madhubani painting or Mithila painting is a style of Hindu Painting, practiced in
the Mithila region of Nepal and in Indian States of Bihar.
Painting is done with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks, using
natural dyes and pigments, and is characterized by eye-catching geometrical
patterns.
There are paintings for each occasion and festival such as birth, marriage, Holi,
Surya Shasti, Kali Puja, Upanayanam, Durga Puja etc.
The Mithila region, from which the name Mithila art is derived, is believed to
have been the kingdom of King Janak. The exact location of it lies in present
day Janakpur of Nepal.
Madhubani Painting / Mithila Folk Painting
Sikki Grass Meera Thakur
Sikki grass crafts are various handicrafts that are made from a special kind of
grass known as sikki found in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,India.The art of making
items from sikki grass is an ancient one in the province of Bihar.Sikki is dried
and the flower head is cut off.
The resulting fine golden fibre is used in weaving
to make toys, dolls, and baskets (dolchi). Items are sometimes painted.
Boxes made of sikki known as pauti are given to daughters by parents on the
occasion of their wedding. The boxes are used to hold sindoor, ornaments,
and jewellry.
Cherial Sawdust Masks By D. Padma
Cheriyal Painting is a stylized version of Nakashi art, rich in the local motifs peculiar
to the Telangana.
They are at present made only in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
The scrolls are painted in a narrative format, much like a film roll or a comic strip,
depicting stories from Indian mythology, and intimately tied to the shorter stories
from the Puranas and Epics. Earlier, these paintings were prevalent across Andhra,
as also various other parts of the country, albeit flavoured with their distinct styles
and other local peculiarities dictated by the local customs and traditions. In the
same way, Cheriyal must have been popular across Telangana in earlier times,
though with the advent of television, cinemas and computers it has been fenced
into its last outpost, the Cheriyal village. Presently Cheriyal painting artist
D.Vaikuntamnakash and his family living in Hyderabad (Boduppal) only.
Chittara Art by Ishwar Naik
Today, the vibrant Chittara mural art is being done on hand-made rice paper.
At a fascinating exhibition of Chittara mural art, currently on at Dakshinachitra,
the mural paintings command attention with their exquisite delicacy, vibrant
colours and harmony of composition. Other interesting Deewaru crafts on
sale are traditional paddy husk `Kalashas` painted over with Chittara art, as
well as papiermache` and terracotta vases and artifacts that come alive
with Chittara motifs. Traditional rice husk woven torans and other decorative
items, which depict tribal art at its best, are also available at Dakshinachitra.
Gond Art By Venkat Raman Sing Shyam
The traditional vocabulary of Gond art, once a storyteller’s form, has long traversed the walls of the indigenous villages in central India.The intricate lines, dots and dashes, intercepted by brilliant hues, bring to the fore not just stories depicted through them but also a wave of emotions.