What is Mithila painting or Madhubani painting?

 Origin

Madhubani is a village in the district of Mithilanchal in Bihar. The Madhubani painting originated in the area named 'Mithilanchal' where King Janak ruled or in other words the birthplace of Sita. The origin of this art form can be traced to the epic of Ramayana as Tulsidas gives a vivid account of Mithilanchal being decorated with Mithila painting at the wedding of Sita with Ram. There are ample references to Mithila painting in Banabhatta's Harshacharita. Its roots can be traced to Harappa and Mohenjodaro period which is remarkable for any living tradition.

At present, half of the area of ancient Mithilanchal is in Nepal and rest in Bihar. During the period from 1960 to 1970, Mithila painting became mobile and commercialised. The shift from the traditional, ritual-bound wall painting to individual artistic creations on paper led to the emergence of several highly renowned women painters such as Sita Devi, Ganga Devi, Mahasundari Devi and Baua Devi. The main commercial centre became Madhubani, hence the name "Madhubani" painting.

The art is practised in villages of Mithilanchal, some of those villages are Jitwarpur, Simri, Bhavanipur, Laheriyaganj and Tarouni. There are hundreds of villages where this art form is practised. It cuts across the barriers of caste, race or creed as it is practised by a wide cross-section of people.

These paintings are drawn on auspicious occasions such as birth of a child, sacred-thread ceremony of the Brahmins etc. -sathhudi, a ritual observed during the seventh and ninth month of pregnancy; chatiyar puja, done on the sixth day after the birth of a child; annaprashan, to mark a child's first eating of grain; akshararambh, to mark a child's entry into the world of learning: janaur, to mark the symbolic rebirth of young Brahmin boys; marriages and deaths. Festivals like the 'Chhath', the 'Chauth Chand Le. the fourth day of the Hindu month of 'Bhadra' (August-September) and the 'Devatthan Ekadasi' provide the main occasions for the painting.

In early times only women used to sometimes paint while singing auspicious songs. The women of the region had neither education nor formal training in painting. The art form was handed down from one generation to the next. In the process, there have been changes and embellishments, but the basic style has remained unaltered. It came to the forefront only in 1967, when a drought hit the area and people had to think of an alternative livelihood. Selling these traditional paintings on handmade paper was the best alternative and Madhubani became the centre of the export of these paintings.

Theme

Mysticism, folklore and regional versions of Hindu epics are the most common subjects of Madhubani paintings. Religion plays an important role in lifestyle and tradition of the people of Bihar. It is because of their desire to please their gods and develop their spirituality that gave birth to Madhubani painting. Walls of the room where the family deities are worshipped (gosain-ka-ghar) are decorated with figures of all the deities- Durga, Shiva-Parvati, Ram-Sita, Radha-Krishna, Ganesha, the 10 avataras of Vishnu, as well as the sun and moon.

One of the important themes of Mithila painting is kohabara. The main area of the house where these paintings are done is the kohabara ghar - a room prepared for a groom where he stays at his in-laws place after the wedding. The kohabara ghar (Figure 9.1) is related to fertility and meant to bless the newly wed couple. This painting depicts the six lotus flowers encircling a single bamboo stem. These are fertility symbols. The lotus signifies the female and the bamboo represents the male generative powers. Fish, parrot, turtle, elephant, horses, peacock, banana and betel leaves that surround them are symbols of fertility and regeneration. The seven planets are symbolized by seven leaves. On the outer wall are drawn the figures of gods and goddesses i.e. Radha-Krishna, Ram-Sita, Durga and Kali etc.

The paintings are largely based on folklore covering a wide range of subjects i.e. birds and animals, gram or kuldevta-Raja Salash and many others. There are four kinds of Mithila painting the most popular is Rangachitra (it is always multi-coloured), Rekhachitra (line painting), Godna (tattoo painting), Tantric painting (mostly the figure is accompanied with yantras).

Some of the paintings centre around bride-groom going in a palanquin, marriage rites completion, betel creeper, clove tree and other motifs symbolising a wedding.

Madhubani paintings are mostly based on rituals. Intricate floral, animal and bird motifs, and symmetrical geometric designs fill up the gaps. Animals play an important role in the economy of rural Mithila. They are usually portrayed in a naturalistic manner with a neat profile. However, human figures are not naturalistic representations but simplified and linear in form.

Some of the paintings are based on the following themes: Dashavatar ie ten incarnations of Vishnu-Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narsimha, Vaman, Parshuram, Rama, Balarama, Buddha and Kalki (Figure 9.2); Dasmahavidya- ten incarnations of Goddesses; Solah Sanskara for women and Solah Sanskara for men, Krishna Leela, Ram Leela; episodes from Mahabharata and Ramayana etc.

Technique

The traditional base of freshly plastered mud wall usually whitewashed with lime has now been replaced by cloth, handmade paper and canvas. At first, a sketch is made with coal or kajal and then filled with bright colours. A double line is drawn for outlines and the gap is filled with either cross or straight tiny lines. It is made without any prior sketching. The artists make colours from plant extracts; for example, yellow is prepared from turmeric, black from burnt jowar or kajal/diya's soot, orange from the Palasa flower, red from Kusum, and green from the Bilva leaf. Fresh cow dung is also used. These juices are mixed with resin from banana leaves and ordinary gum to enable it to stick to the painting medium. Madhubani painters use a very unusual form of brush for the art. Handmade, the brush is created out of a bamboo stick, with its end being slightly frayed and covered with cotton. There is no shading in the application of colours.

Madhubani paintings are associated with festivities and celebrations. They have a distinctive style, easy to paint and bright vegetable colours are used which imparts them a lively and artistic look. The borders are highly decorated-either geometrically or with ornate floral patterns.

The impact of environment is discernible in the motifs, style, tools used for painting, religious occasions, means of entertainment, birth, marriage, death and also the harvest season.