Title: Mithila (Birthplace of Sita) « JHA’S
Headings: Mithila (Birthplace of Sita)
Mithila (Birthplace of Sita)
Content: Madhubani paintings is famous all over the world. Here are some of them
The Madhubani tradition of art, whose practitioners are women, is on the decline for lack of patronage
(left) A Madhubani painting in the Godana style by Chano Devi, depicting a scene from the myth of God Salhesa. ( right) A painting of Goddess Kali in the Bharni style by Krishnakant Jha. MITHILA, the birthplace of Sita of the Ramayana, lies in the state of Bihar, bounded by the Himalayas in the north and the rivers Kosi, Ganga and Gandak in the east, south and west respectively. Over centuries, the people of Mithila have developed their own tradition of art, popularly known as Madhubani painting, named after a district and a town in the region. What is unique about this tradition – which dates back to the 7th century A.D., and is prevalent even today – is that it is the women who mastered and practised it. Two Snakes, by Krishnakant Jha, in the Bharni style. In their earliest form, Madhubani paintings appear as aripana (floor paintings) and kohabar (wall paintings), done by the women of the Brahmin and the Kayastha castes. Painters today do it on paper. An exhibition of such paintings, titled “Mithila Paintings”, was held in Kolkata from January 3 to January 12.