Sanja Art

Relief Style Art form  :

Sanja Art is famous art of Malwa and Nimad region of Madhya Pradesh.it is mainly done in relief style with the help of fresh cow-dung and are decorated with flowers, bright and colourful stripes of paper on the walls during the “Pitra paksha” lasts for sixteen days from  the full moon of Bhadrapada to the new moon of Ashwin month .

Sanja seems to be a perfect  embodiment of belief and traditions.we can also say that making sanja is the festival of manifestation,it is the ritualistic fast of unmarried girls lasts for sixteen days in the entire “Pitra-paksha".the term sanja is often suffixed with Devi or goddess.

Sanja Arts are also made in Rajasthan, Gujrat , Haryana and Uttar-Pradesh with some modification where they are called sanjhi or sanji .

This art form is made by Young unmarried girls in honour of a goddess named “Sanja”. During the Pitra -paksha (the fortnight of the ancestors), young girls emboss various motifs on the canvas of cow-dung every day. The festival of faith and belief to bless with good married life and further happiness is turned into fortnight programme of singing and making motifs for sixteen days.Here making of Kel image on Gyaras of pitra-paksha is considered as good symbol and has special significance in Sanja. Every evening, the girls belonging to the same locality gather to offer prayers in front of prepared motif and sing song in praise of the goddess ,also Ghee or oil  lamp is lit in front of motif. From Starting till the last day, the sanja is kept on the walls with its full glory.In the last five days, figures of elephant-horse, fort-coat, cart etc.are made.On the sixteenth day of the new moon, Sanjha Devi is removed from the wall and placed in an earthen pot,then all together go to send off Sanjha Devi with songs .There is laughter, dancing, singing all along the way. Prasad is distributed after sending off Sanja Devi .Womens children and girls, there is a lot of enthusiasm in everyone.