Madhubani Art

An Oldest Folk Art :

Madhubani Art,2500-year-old folk art, the history of  Madhubani is said to date back to the time of Ramayana, when king Janaka asked an artist to capture his daughter Sita's wedding to prince Rama. It is originated and majorly exported in  Madhubani District of Bihar, India.There are three main themes in Madhubani art: religion, social scenes and elements of nature.it  is done with various tools such as fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks using natural dyes of Henna leaves, marigold, bougainvillea, cow dung, soot and rice powder  were eco-friendly materials from which artists extracted colours.

 it is ritual content for special occasions and festivals such as birth or marriage, Holi ,Surya Shasti, Kali Puja, Upanayana Sanskar, and Durga Puja.Madhubani mostly depict people and their association with nature and scenes and deities from the ancient epics. Natural objects like the sun, the moon, and religious plants like tulsi are also widely painted, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. In this  generally, there is  no space left empty; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs.  it was traditionally created in the Mithila region of the India. That’s why it is also called as Mithila art .it is also practiced in Nepal.
The art were traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors but now they are also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas . They work in all five distinctive styles: Bharni, Katchni, Tantrik, Godna and Kohbar.

Madhubani Art was Mainly attributed to the upper caste, Nowadays so there is no difference in the work on the basis of the caste system as  Madhubani art has become a globalised art form, Madhubani art has received worldwide attention now a days ,it received official recognition in 1969. Madhubani also  received various awards  like the Bihar Ratna award ,National Award ,Padma Shri award and many more.This amazing art form is still kept alive because of the efforts of many artists who continue to practice Madhubani art. Many notable Madhubani artists have received national and international recognition. Some of them are Sita devi,Ganga devi,Mahasundari Devi, Bharti Dayal, Jagdamba Devi.

 
In present day  Madhubani art is an important part of the life of people in a village called Ranti in Bihar. The women who practice this art form in the village use it as an opportunity to create awareness on social issues and to empower women. Artists like Karpuri Devi, Mahalaxmi and Dulari are playing key roles in teaching other women the importance of Madhubani .there are several institutions near Mithila that teach Madhubani paintings to young artists. Some of the major centers that teach this art form are Benipatti in Madhubani district, Gram Vikas Parishad in Ranti and Vaidehi in Madhubani. Artist Bharti Dayal owns a studio in New Delhi.
Extraordinarily talented Artist in this art form, have made their art a subject of artistic attraction across geographical boundaries also .some government officials took the initiative to popularise the art in order to uplift their financial earnings. They did this by persuading women artists to draw similar paintings on paper, which eventually led to the concept of commercialisation of their work for a worldwide market.

The recent initiatives taken by the local government, NGOs and cultural organisations, have brought the Madhubani art to an even greater level of popularity and recognition. In the field of fashion, many designers have launched Madhubani designs collection such as traditional outfits like Stoles, Sarees, Salwar kameez, long skirts, etc. which are beautifully designed in Madhubani art. Many other day-to-day useable products like bags, table-mat ,pen-cases ,boxes, diaries, etc. are painted and are very popular.

 

Very recently, all the governemnt buildings of the Madhubani city, including the railway station, town hall, administrative office buildings, government bungalows, trains etc. have been thoroughly covered by Madhubani paintings.  With such  efforts on the part of government and local artists, Madhubani paintings are once again emerging as a major art form on the artistic canvass of the modern world.

                                    

                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~