Madhubani \ Mithila Paintings

            Madhubani paintings mostly depict nature and Hindu religious motifs, and the themes generally revolve around Hindu deities like Krsihna, Ram, shiva, Durga, Lakhsmi 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 space is left empty; 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.

            As Madhubani painting has remained confined to a compact geographical area and the skills have been passed on through centuries,the content and the style have largely remained the same. Madhubani paintings also use two dimensional imagery, and the colors used are derived from plants.Ochre and Lamp black  are also used for reddish brown and black respectively.

            Madhubani painting has been done traditionally bythe women of villages around the present town of  Madhubani (the literal meaning of which is forests of honey) and other areas of Mithila. The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud wall ofhuts, but now it is also done on cloth, hand-made paper and canvas.

             The origins of Madhubani painting or Mithila Painting are shrouded inantiquity. Tradition states that this style of painting originated at the timeof the   Ramayana, when King Janak commissioned artists to do paintingsat the time of marriage of his daughter, Sita, to Lord Ram.

This distinctive style of painting is of Hindu deities Radha Krishna.