Madhubani Painting, Origin and Discovery

 

Madhubani Painting is a folk art from India. It is believed that it originated in the kingdom of Mithila (Northern Bihar and Nepal), during the reign of King Janak (from the Indian Mythology Ramayana), and hence is also named as Mithila Painting. 

                                                           Madhubani Painting by Anushree Dutta

During the wedding of Lord Rama and Sita (daughter of King Janak), the entire town was painted and walls were decorated. Ever since, the tradition continued and the women in the Northern Bihar decorated the walls of their houses by painting them with intricate patterns during religious ceremonies or weddings.

Yet Until 1934, the art was unknown to the world. So what actually happened in 1934? It was the year when Bihar and Nepal were massively struck and damaged due to a disastrous earthquake. The British colonial officer of Madhubani district, Willian G. Archer was examining the damage caused by the earthquake, where he stumbled on the remains of this beautiful art, painted on the broken wall pieces or the interiors of the houses. He was awestruck with the beauty of this naive art and compared them to the work of Picasso. This is how Madhubani found its first admirer in the Western world, and its flavor was eventually introduced outside the region of Mithila. Today Madhubani holds an important position in the names of Indian folk art and is amongst one of the most famous and known folk arts from India.

To watch a video on the origin and history of Mithila Art click the link below;

 Madhubani Art - History Origin

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