Pariksha SaathiLesson 4 of 10 · Indian Art and Culture
Folk Paintings, Textiles and Crafts of the Indian States
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Why folk art matters
Folk and tribal painting is made by communities, often by women, for rituals, weddings and festivals, with natural colours and inherited motifs rather than the rules of a court studio. Exams pair each form with its state and its signature feature. Many of these paintings, textiles and crafts are protected as Geographical Indications under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, which came into force in 2003; Darjeeling tea was the first Indian product registered, and a registration lasts 10 years and can be renewed.
Paintings of the east
Madhubani (Mithila) painting of Bihar was painted by women on mud walls and floors for weddings and festivals, with double-line borders, no empty space and themes from the Ramayana, Krishna and nature; its styles include Bharni, Kachni, Godna and Kohbar, and it drew wide notice after the British officer W. G. Archer saw it on walls broken by the 1934 Bihar earthquake. Pattachitra of Odisha is painted on treated cloth (patta) with Jagannath and Krishna themes; Raghurajpur near Puri is its crafts village, and a palm-leaf version is etched with a stylus. Kalighat painting grew near the Kalighat temple of Kolkata in the 19th century: quick, bold watercolours on mill paper of gods and satirical scenes of city life, sold to pilgrims. Manjusha painting of Bhagalpur (Bihar) tells the Bihula-Vishahari legend, Saura painting is the wall art of the Saura tribe of Odisha, and Sohrai and Khovar are wall paintings of Hazaribagh (Jharkhand).
Paintings of the west and centre
Warli painting, by the Warli tribe of Thane and Palghar in Maharashtra, uses white rice paste on a mud or ochre wall and builds figures from circles, triangles and squares, with the tarpa dance shown as a spiral of people; Jivya Soma Mashe made it famous. Phad of Bhilwara (Rajasthan) is a long cloth scroll of the epics of the folk deities Pabuji and Devnarayan, unrolled at night by Bhopa priest-singers. Pichwai of Nathdwara (Rajasthan) is a cloth hanging behind the image of Shrinathji (Krishna), changed with the seasons and festivals. Gond painting of Madhya Pradesh builds animals, trees and myths from dots and dashes in bright colours, and Jangarh Singh Shyam took it from walls to canvas. Pithora is the ritual wall painting of the Rathwa and Bhil tribes of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
Paintings of the south
Kalamkari, meaning pen-work, comes from Andhra Pradesh in two styles: the Srikalahasti style, drawn freehand with a bamboo pen (kalam) and natural dyes, mostly on temple and epic themes, and the Machilipatnam style, printed with carved wooden blocks. Tanjore (Thanjavur) painting of Tamil Nadu, which flourished under the Maratha rulers of Thanjavur, paints deities on a wooden board and raises them with gesso, gold foil and glass or stone pieces. Mysore painting of Karnataka is a quieter cousin with thin gold leaf, and Cheriyal scrolls of Telangana narrate local legends on bold red backgrounds.
Textiles tied to places
Banarasi silk of Varanasi is a brocade woven with gold and silver zari in Mughal floral motifs; Kanjeevaram silk of Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) is heavy mulberry silk whose wide contrasting border is woven separately and interlocked with the body. Chikankari of Lucknow is fine white-on-white embroidery on muslin and cotton; Phulkari of Punjab is flower embroidery in silk floss on coarse cotton; Kantha of West Bengal is running-stitch embroidery on layers of old saris. Bandhani of Gujarat and Rajasthan is tie-and-dye, in which tiny knots resist the dye, while Leheriya of Rajasthan makes diagonal waves. Patola of Patan (Gujarat) is double ikat silk, with both warp and weft dyed before weaving; Pochampally (Telangana) and Sambalpuri (Odisha) are other ikats. Paithani (Maharashtra) has peacock borders, Baluchari of Bishnupur (West Bengal) weaves epic scenes into the pallu, Muga is the golden silk of Assam, and Chanderi and Maheshwari are light weaves of Madhya Pradesh. Pashmina is woven in Kashmir from the fine undercoat of the Changthangi goat of Ladakh, and the Kani shawl is woven with small wooden spools called kanis.
Metal, pottery and toys
Bidriware of Bidar (Karnataka), dating from the Bahmani period, is cast in an alloy of zinc and copper, inlaid with silver and blackened with soil from the Bidar fort, so the silver shines on black. Dhokra is lost-wax brass casting by tribal artisans of Chhattisgarh (Bastar), Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The blue pottery of Jaipur, of Turko-Persian origin, uses quartz paste instead of clay; Meenakari, also of Jaipur, is enamel work on metal; and Thewa of Pratapgarh (Rajasthan) fuses patterned gold sheet onto glass. Channapatna (Karnataka) makes lacquered wooden toys, Kondapalli and Etikoppaka (Andhra Pradesh) make wooden toys, and the Bankura horse of West Bengal is a terracotta icon. Kerala's Aranmula kannadi is a mirror made of polished metal alloy, not glass.
Key facts
- Madhubani (Mithila, Bihar): women's wall and floor painting, double-line borders, no empty space; styles Bharni, Kachni, Godna, Kohbar; noticed by W. G. Archer after the 1934 earthquake.
- Warli (Thane-Palghar, Maharashtra): white rice paste on mud walls, figures of circles, triangles and squares, tarpa dance spiral; Jivya Soma Mashe.
- Pattachitra (Odisha): cloth painting of Jagannath and Krishna, village Raghurajpur near Puri; Kalighat (Kolkata): 19th-century watercolours sold to pilgrims.
- Phad (Bhilwara, Rajasthan): scrolls of Pabuji and Devnarayan sung by Bhopas; Pichwai (Nathdwara): cloth hangings behind Shrinathji.
- Gond (Madhya Pradesh): dots and dashes, Jangarh Singh Shyam; Pithora: ritual wall art of the Rathwas (Gujarat); Saura: Odisha; Sohrai-Khovar: Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
- Kalamkari (Andhra Pradesh): Srikalahasti = freehand pen; Machilipatnam = block-printed. Tanjore painting: gold foil and gesso on wood, Maratha patronage.
- Silk map: Banarasi brocade (Varanasi), Kanjeevaram (Tamil Nadu), Patola double ikat (Patan, Gujarat), Paithani (Maharashtra), Baluchari (Bishnupur, West Bengal), Muga golden silk (Assam).
- Embroidery and dyeing: Chikankari (Lucknow), Phulkari (Punjab), Kantha (West Bengal), Bandhani tie-dye (Gujarat, Rajasthan), Leheriya waves (Rajasthan).
- Crafts: Bidriware (Bidar, zinc-copper alloy with silver inlay), Dhokra (tribal lost-wax brass), Blue pottery (Jaipur, quartz paste), Channapatna toys (Karnataka), Aranmula metal mirror (Kerala).
- GI tags: Geographical Indications of Goods Act, 1999, in force 2003; Darjeeling tea was India's first GI; registration valid for 10 years, renewable.
Quick revision
Madhubani-Bihar (women, double borders, Kohbar); Warli-Maharashtra (rice paste, geometry); Pattachitra-Odisha (Raghurajpur); Kalighat-Kolkata; Phad-Bhilwara (Pabuji); Pichwai-Nathdwara; Gond-MP; Kalamkari-Andhra (Srikalahasti pen, Machilipatnam block); Tanjore gold foil; Banarasi, Kanjeevaram, Patola double ikat, Paithani, Muga; Chikankari-Lucknow; Bandhani; Pashmina-Changthangi goat; Bidriware-Bidar; Dhokra lost-wax; GI Act 1999, first GI Darjeeling tea.