One of the many traditional Indian art forms is 'Madhubani Paintings' also known as 'Mithila Paintings'. Madhubani paintings, named after the village Madhubani(Bihar), where it is practiced, find their origin in Indian epic Ramayna. The art was originally practiced by females only, serving as a creative expression tool for everyday lives and happenings. Following the belief that Gods visit each house in the morning, the art primarily donned the walls and doors, intending to please the Gods. Traditionally done on freshly plastered mud wall of huts these paintings,overtime, graduated to cloth, hand-made paper and canvas.

The central theme the Madhubani paintings is the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The main theme is supported by the traditional geometric patterns. Some of the main attributes of all the Madhubani paintings double line border, ornate floral patterns, abstract-like figures of deities, bold use of colors and bulging eyes and a jolting nose of the faces of the figures.

Madhubani paintings requires paste of cow dung and mud, applied to the walls and floors to give a perfect black background on which pictures are drawn with white rice paste and bright vegetable colors . For an authentic look many of the painters still apply a thin layer of cow dung and mud paste on their canvases.

Themes of Madhubani

Madhubani paintings mostly depict mythological characters, devotional events, nature and natural objects like sun, moon and other religious planets. Some of the commonly painted themes are:

Hindu deities are Lord Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati
Scenes from the royal courts and social events like weddings.
Natural village scenes of everyday life
Natural flora and fauna

Empty Spaces are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and other geometric designs.Madhubani paintings, marked by their vivid and bold colors, are popular and much appreciated world wide. Contemporary Madhubani paintings are experimental and a fusion of traditional themes and current universal happenings. Madhubani art suppliers, Madhubani painting exporters and wholesalers are offering madhubani and mithila art pieces for sale online.