The art of Madhubani painting

The art of Madhubani painting, is the traditional style developed in the Mithila region, in the villages around Madhubani, Bihar. Madhubani literally means a forest of honey. This style of painting has been traditionally done by the people of the region basically the women, though today men are also involved to meet the demand. The work is done on freshly plastered or a mud wall. For commercial purposes, the work is now being done on paper, cloth etc. The paintings are basically of a religious nature. They are done in the special rooms in their homes (in the pooja room, ritual area, bridal room.), on the main village walls, etc., for ceremonial or ritualistic purpose. Themes of the Maithili painting of Bihar revolve around Hindu deities like Krishna, Rama, Lakshmi, Shiva, Durga and Saraswati. The natural themes that are used include the Sun, the Moon and the religious plants like tulsi. One can also find paintings based on scenes from the royal courts and social events, like weddings. If any empty space is left after painting the main theme, it is filled up with the motifs of flowers, animals and birds or geometric designs. Traditionally,this art was one of the skills that was passed down from generation to generation in the families of the Mithila Region, at that time remote people were unknown to written skill so they put their thoughts and imagination in those paintings.I wrote this 'ARTICLE' on my basic knowledge gained from my hometown "Madhubani".I loved this art on cloths & walls, its the great craft of Mithila.