ORIGIN OF MITHILA PAINTINGS

MITHILA PAINTING

ORIGINS

The origins of Madhubani painting or Mithila Painting are shrouded in antiquity and mythology.

Madhubani painting/Mithila painting has been done traditionally by the women of villages around the present town of Madhubani and Darbhanga (the literal meaning of Madhubani is forests of honey) and other areas of Mithila

The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts, but now they are also done on cloth, handmade paper, and canvas
Madhubani paintings are made from the paste of powdered rice

Madhubani painting has remained confined to a compact geographical area and the skills have been passed on through centuries, the content and the style have largely remained the same

And that is the reason for Madhubani painting being accorded the coveted GI (Geographical Indication) status

Madhubani paintings also use two-dimensional imagery, and the colors used are derived from plants

Ochre and lampblack are also used for reddish brown and black respectively
Madhubani paintings mostly depict the men & its association with nature and the scenes & deity 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

Generally, no space is left empty; the gaps are filled with paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs

Objects depicted in the walls of kohabar ghar (where newlywed couple see each other on the first night) are symbols of sexual pleasure and procreation

This painting is, in fact, simplistic manifestation of the philosophical heights achieved by Indian civilization for the universal power of love, longing, and peace
Traditionally, painting was one of the skills that were passed down from generation to generation in the families of the Mithila Region, mainly by women
Madhubani painting received official recognition in 1970 when the President of India gave an award to Jagdamba Devi, of Jitbarpur village near Madhubani
Other painters, Mahasundari Devi (2008), Sita Devi, Godavari Dutt, Bharti Dayal and Bua Devi were also given this National award

Smt Bharti Dayal won an Award from All India Fine Arts and Crafts for fifty years of art in independent India and the State Award for kalamkari in Mithila Painting and her painting "Eternal Music" bagged the top award in Millennium Art Competition from AIFAC for the year 2001