Mithila Paintings September 14, 2009

Mithila Paintings by Satya Narayan Lal Karn & Moto Karn. Mithila is the name of the supposed birthplace of Sita from the epic Ramayan . From this region , a rich tradition of domestic, ritual painting has survived from the very ancient times . These paintings are hence called Mithila paintings . The paintings are broadly in 2 categories of floor drawings or aripana and wall paintings or bhitti chitra. Floor drawings were done on special occassions like birth , first hair cut , thread ceremony , marriage and death. Wall drawings were done regularly on the walls of homes at different and distinct places like the kul devate room or prayer room , khobara ghar or bridal room. These paintings were done mainly by the the women of the Kayastha , Brahmin and Dusadhas communities There are a variation of colours and styles between the communities . Whether in floor or wall paintings, every element has a deep rooted symbolism focused on passion , sex , fertility , tantric rituals, specially, those executed for marriages. The paintings mostly depict nature and Hindu religious motifs and themes revolving around Hindu deities like Krishna , Ram , Shiva , Durga , Lakshmi and Saraswati . Natural objects like the sun , moon , religious plants like tulsi & lotus , are also painted , along with social events like weddings and the royal court . Generally , no blank spaces are left and the paintings are very dense in their workmanship . The gaps are filled in by paintings of flowers , animals , birds and even geometric designs . Since the late 60s , Mithila paintings got a wider exposure and publicity when it was executed on paper and cloth . Many more transformations took place , including change of medium . These immovable paintings then became mobile and world famous in their style and treatment of the subject matter

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