Indian Folk Paintings: Rich Heritage of Art and Craft Traditions

Our country has always been a repository of indigenous knowledge, which has been transferred from one generation to another. Artists in each generation have created the best works out of available materials and technology. Many scholars named these art forms as minor arts, utility art, folk art, tribal art, people’s art, ritual art, crafts including the vibrant tradition of Indian Folk Paintings. The art and craft traditions of India showcase the tangible heritage of the country with a history of more than five thousand years.

Indian Folk Paintings: Aesthetic Expression on Diverse Mediums

• Aesthetic Expression: Paintings are the aesthetic expression which is made to decorate walls and floors and do many more artistic things to fulfill daily needs.
• Depicted on Diverse Mediums: They are made on pots and dresses, jewellery and ritual or votive sculptures. 
• Symbolism in Art: There is symbolism, specific use of motifs, materials, colours and methods of making. 

Indian Folk Paintings: Rich Diversity in Traditional Art Forms 

• Rich Diversity: During ancient times, there were many types of paintings developed in various regions. 
• Diverse Tradition: Among the many popular traditions of painting, Mithila or Madhubani painting of Bihar, Warli painting of Maharashtra, Pithoro Painting of North Gujarat and western Madhya Pradesh, Gond and Sawara Paintings of Madhya Pradesh, Pata Chitra of Orissa and Bengal, etc., are a few examples of Indian Folk Paintings. 

Indian Folk Paintings: Mithila Painting Tradition

• Origin in Mithila Region: It derives its name from Mithila, the ancient Videha and birthplace of Sita. 
  • It is also called the Madhubani painting. 
• Folk Art Tradition: It is a widely recognised folk art tradition. 
• Connection to Sita and Rama: Origin of this art form at the time of Princess Sita getting married to Lord Rama.
• House Painting Areas: These Indian Folk Paintings, characterised by bright colours, are largely painted in three areas of the house – central or outer courtyards, the eastern part of the house, which is the dwelling place of Kuladevi, usually, Kali, and a room in the southern part of the house, which houses the most significant images. 
• Gosain Ghar: In the inner verandah, where the family shrine – devasthana or gosain ghar is located, griha devatas and kula devatas are painted.
• Kohbar Ghar:The most extraordinary and colourful painting, however, is done in the part of the house known as the kohbar ghar or inner room.
• Significance of kohbar Ghar: In kohbar ghar, magnificent representations of kohbar, a lotus with a stalk in full bloom having metaphoric and tantric connotation along with images of gods and goddesses are painted on freshly plastered walls of the room.
• Themes from Bhagavata Purana and Ramayana: Themes that are painted are episodes from the Bhagavata Purana, and Ramayana, stories of Shiva-Parvati, Durga, Kali and Rasa-Lila of Radha and Krishna. 
• Avoid Empty Spaces: Mithila artists do not like empty spaces. 
• Nature Elements Symbolism: They fill in the entire space decoratively with elements from nature like birds, flowers, animals, fish, snakes, the Sun and the moon, which often have symbolic intent, signifying love, passion, fertility, eternity, well-being and prosperity. 

Indian Folk Paintings: Warli Painting Tradition

• Painting by Warli Community: This Indian Folk Paintings is done by the Warli community who inhabit Northern Maharashtra around the north Sahyadri range. 
• Women’s Central Role: Married women play a central role in creating their most important painting called Chowk to mark special occasions.
• Ritual Associations: It is closely associated with the rituals of marriage, fertility, harvest and the new season of sowing.
• Worshiping Goddess: Chowk is dominated by the figure of the mother goddess, Palaghat, who is chiefly worshipped as the goddess of fertility and represents the corn goddess, Kansari.
• Hariyali Deva: She is enclosed in a small square frame decorated with ‘pointed’ chevrons along the outer edges that symbolise Hariyali Deva, i.e., the God of Plants. 
• Guardian Deity: Her escort and guardian are visualised as a headless warrior, riding a horse or standing beside her with five shoots of corn springing from his neck, and hence, called Panch Sirya Devata (five-headed god).
  • He also symbolises the guardian of the fields, Khetrapal. 
• Everyday Life Depictions: The central motif of Palaghat is surrounded by scenes of everyday life.
• Portraying Various Act: It portrays acts of hunting, fishing, farming, dancing, mythological stories of animals, where the tiger is conspicuously visible, scenes of buses plying and the busy urban life of Mumbai as people of Warli see around them. 
• Utilization of Rice Flour: These paintings are traditionally painted with rice flour on the earth-coloured walls of their homes. 
  • These paintings avert diseases, propitiate the dead, and fulfill the demands of spirits. 
• Bamboo Stick Paintbrush: A bamboo stick, chewed at the end, is used as the paintbrush.

Indian Folk Paintings: Gond Painting Tradition

• Transformation to Colorful Depictions: Paintings of Gonds of Mandla and its surrounding regions have recently been transformed into a colourful depiction of animals, humans and flora.
• Geometric Votive Drawings: The votive paintings are geometric drawings done on the walls of huts, portraying Krishna with his cows surrounded by gopis with pots on their heads to which young girls and boys make offerings. 

Indian Folk Paintings: Pithoro Painting Tradition

• Region: These Indian Folk Paintings were painted by Rathva Bhils of the Panchmahal region in Gujarat and Jhabua in the neighboring State of Madhya Pradesh.
• Thanksgiving Wall Art: These Indian Folk Paintings are done on the walls of houses to mark special or Thanksgiving occasions.
• Magnificently Colored Depicted: These are large wall paintings, representing rows of numerous and magnificently coloured deities depicted as horse riders.
• Cosmography in Rows: The rows of horse rider deities represent the cosmography of the Rathvas. 
• World of Gods and Heavens: The uppermost section with riders represents the world of gods, heavenly bodies and mythical creatures.
• Representation of Earth: An ornate wavy line separates this section from the lower region, where the wedding procession of Pithoro is depicted with minor deities, kings, goddesses of destiny, archetypal farmers, domestic animals, and so on, which represent the earth.