Madhubani paintings - an art form par excellence

Madhubani paintings or Mithila paintings are an art form that is very unique in its concept itself. The history of Mithila paintings goes back to the times of Ramayana when King Janak commissioned artists to decorate Janakpur to celebrate the marriage of Lord Ram with Princess Sita. Since then, the tradition has been kept alive by generations of Mithila women doing paintings on the wall of the hut by using herbal color and and a brush made of bamboo sticks (kucchi) and depicting the stories from birth to upnayan ceremony to marriage ceremony to death, every phase of life is beautifully described through the medium of picture and traditional maithili songs. Here I give you 2 samples of this beautiful art form that is now recognized globally and is in high demand across the world.

© 2009 Ranjan Kumar