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.
The history of Mithila painting dawned with the love for interior decoration in human beings. For centuries women have bedecked their dwellings with elaborate symbolic paintings. It is said that Mithla painting in India began when king Janak, ruler of Mithila asked people to paint their homes when his daughter Sita was getting married to Lord Ram. This is the reason for knowing these paintings as Maithili, Godhna and Chitra figure paintings also. Ultimately this art form reached the neighboring villages of Madhubani like Bacchi, Rasidpur, Ranti, Jetwarpur, Rajangarh, etc
Themes of Milthila Painting
The paintings are traditionally based on mythological, folk themes and pastoral symbols. The central themes of most paintings are love, valor, devotion and fertility, though the approach may vary. So it is common to find scenes of courtship and marriages and symbols of fertility and prosperity like fish, parrot, elephant, turtle, sun, moon, bamboo tree, lotus, birds, wedding scenes etc. in prominence. The divine beings are positioned centrally in the frame while their consorts and floral motifs form the background. The human figures are mostly abstract and linear in form.
Most figures depicted in Mithila paintings hold a symbolic meaning which adds fascination to these paintings. Fishes depict fruitfulness, good luck and procreation; peacocks represent romanticism while serpents are symbol of heavenly protectors.
In the hall of the bride's house, where regional people perform marriage rituals is stuffed by mythological paintings. This hall's paintings are made to give blessings to the couple. The prime motto behind this painting is fertility and love. They bless the couples by the paintings of Krishna Radha and marriage of Sita goddess. The artists of Mithila painting are popular as Maithils, who are worshipper of Shakti, due to that you will find images of Durga, Shiva-Shakti, Hanuman, Kali and Ravana in the Mithila paintings. It also includes signs of prosperity and fertility such as elephant, moon, fish, bamboo tree, turtle, lotus, sun and designs of flowers. The Mithila painting is not created by any prior planning or inspiration it just goes with the flow of brush. Still the subject behind the Mithila painting has not changed yet. After words, due to commercial desire it became broad and thats why at present it is created on various types of fabrics, canvas and paper. Bihar state's Mithila painting is not just an art; it is a mirror of rural people's life, their thoughts, their celebration, their joy, love towards nature, Culture and other live creatures. In this current commercial world, it has become a source of income, due to this many rural people has got jobs, men also earn money through this traditional and precious art.
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.
History of Milthila Painting in India
Themes of Milthila Painting
The paintings are traditionally based on mythological, folk themes and pastoral symbols. The central themes of most paintings are love, valor, devotion and fertility, though the approach may vary. So it is common to find scenes of courtship and marriages and symbols of fertility and prosperity like fish, parrot, elephant, turtle, sun, moon, bamboo tree, lotus, birds, wedding scenes etc. in prominence. The divine beings are positioned centrally in the frame while their consorts and floral motifs form the background. The human figures are mostly abstract and linear in form.
Symbolism in Mithila Paintings
In the hall of the bride's house, where regional people perform marriage rituals is stuffed by mythological paintings. This hall's paintings are made to give blessings to the couple. The prime motto behind this painting is fertility and love. They bless the couples by the paintings of Krishna Radha and marriage of Sita goddess. The artists of Mithila painting are popular as Maithils, who are worshipper of Shakti, due to that you will find images of Durga, Shiva-Shakti, Hanuman, Kali and Ravana in the Mithila paintings. It also includes signs of prosperity and fertility such as elephant, moon, fish, bamboo tree, turtle, lotus, sun and designs of flowers. The Mithila painting is not created by any prior planning or inspiration it just goes with the flow of brush. Still the subject behind the Mithila painting has not changed yet. After words, due to commercial desire it became broad and thats why at present it is created on various types of fabrics, canvas and paper. Bihar state's Mithila painting is not just an art; it is a mirror of rural people's life, their thoughts, their celebration, their joy, love towards nature, Culture and other live creatures. In this current commercial world, it has become a source of income, due to this many rural people has got jobs, men also earn money through this traditional and precious art.
