Mithila Painting is basically folk women creative expression of day to day experiences and
happenings.But off late it got popularity in urban and male fraternity as well.
This centuries old craft is practiced as a part of daily rituals in many mithila villages .The process
followed in villages is like this –
Walls and floor of mud house in which they live is used for the canvas.
2)Cow dung and mud paste is used as coat on the hut walls before actual painting.
3)The dry canvas is now ready to be painted with colour.In most natural form rice paste or vegetable is
used as colour for the mithila painting.
With the changing trends and requirements now it is also done on cloth, hand-made paper and canvas.
1)Mithila paintings mostly depict nature and Hindu religious motifs, and the themes generally revolve
around Hindu deities like Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.
Natural objects like the sun, the moon, and religious plants like tulsi are also widely painted, along with
scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings.
Generally no empty space is left; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even
geometric designs. objects depicted in the walls of kohabar ghar (where newly wed couple see each
other in the first night) are symbols of sexual pleasure and procreation.Each symbol used by the Madhubani artist symbolizes specific things like fishes symbolize good luck while the serpents are the protectors.
Other geometrical patterns also signify auspice. These paintings though developed in the rural areas,
are much cherished even by the urban elitThe painting is usually done on walls during festivals, religious events, and other milestones of the life -cycle such as birth, Upanayanam (Sacred thread ceremony), and marriage.