Every year our research team travels extensively across India to meet and profile artisans. In December 2013, our team visited Bihar (northern India) to profile artisans practicing Madhubani, Sikki and Sujani crafts. We give you an overview of the different crafts of Bihar- its origin, significance, and the present state of the craft sector.

1. Overview by Indian Artisans Online

3.  Distinct forms of Madhubani Painting
The most popular craft form from Bihar, these paintings originated from
traditional practices at the time of marriage, child birth, death and other
festivals.
 Mithila Painting
 Line Painting
 Godna/Tattoo Painting
 Tantrik Painting
 Sikki Craft
 Sujani Craft
 Papier Mache

5. Mithila Painting
•
•
Inspired by the stories from Ramayana &
Mahabharata. Different ‘Aripans’
(auspicious floor drawings) and ‘Kohbar’
(painting made at the time of marriage to
bless the new couple) are also made.
•
Earlier ‘soot’ (end of a jute rope) and
bamboo brush was used to make the
painting. Now different types of brushes
are easily available in the market and both
natural and fabric colors are used.
•
Kohbar room at Mahasundari Devi’s home
Practiced mostly in Ranti, Jitwarpur,
Rajnagar, Bijay Salempur, Lohfa (villages
in Mahubani district), and also in
Darbhanga district by Kayastha and
Brahmins.
Pioneers: Mahasundari Devi, Sita Devi,
Jagdamba Devi, Godawari Dutta, Jamuna
Devi

6. Line Painting
•
•
Stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata,
different ‘Aripans’, ‘Kohbar’, flora & fauna
are usually the subject for these paintings.
Theme based paintings are also created
especially for the market.
•
Nib holder and color is used to make fine
lines and the filling is done with a brush.
•
Time consuming and highly skilled
painting. Up to 3 art panels (22”*30”) can
be made in one month.
•
Amresh Kumar Lal Das
This type of madhubani art is practiced in
Rashidpur village by the Kayastha caste.
But now other communities have adopted
the style as well.
Pioneers: Gangadevi (Padma Shree
awardee)

7. Godna/Tattoo Painting
•
•
Prominent motifs include
concentric circles of flowers,
fields, animals, figures, and spirits.
A pointed bamboo pen and
lampblack ink is used to make the
paintings.
•
Time consuming because wide
range of small motifs are used.
•
Godna painting by Manju Devi
Practiced mostly in Jitwarpur
village by the lower castes (Paswan
Tola)
Pioneers: Chano Devi (National
Awardee)

8. Tantrik Painting
•
•
Tantrik painting was started by
Brahmins and is practiced by very few
people.
•
Most of the paintings depict different
forms and stories of Devi Shakti based
on Sanskrit shlokas.
•
In-depth knowledge of Tantra, Mantra
and Yantra (basic spiritual paths of
Hinduism) and Sanskrit is required for
making these paintings.
•
Sidh Kali by Krishan Kant Jha
A relatively new form of Madhubani art
which originated from Harinagar
(Madhubani district).
Pioneers: Krishan Kant Jha

10. Sikki Craft
•
•
Major clusters are found in the villages
of Raiyam and Umari
•
The raw material (sikki grass) is not
available throughout the year. It is only
harvested after monsoon.
•
Individual capacity is not equal to the
market demand. The craft is generally
practiced in small groups.
•
Major products are: platters, roti pots,
utility items, and home décor items.
•
Flower pot by Munni Devi
Traditionally used to make household
utility products like baskets and roti box.
Pioneers: Kameshwar Thakur and
Munni Devi from Raiyam and Bucchi
Devi from Umari.

11. Raiyam
Sikki Jeevika Gram Sangathan
Umari
Hastkala Vikas Kendra

13. Sujani Craft
•
•
Craft evolved from the tradition of
making quilts for infants. For this patches
of old clothes were sewn together using
simple chain stitch.
•
Traditional motifs are flowers, animal
figures and Gods.
•
Multiple layers of thread were used to
embroider earlier making the stiches look
thick. But now a Kantha (West Bengal)
style of embroidery is being used more.
•
Major clusters are Bhusra village
(Muzaffarpur) and Gangapur
(Madhubani).
•
Products by Bhusra Mahila Vikas Samiti
Sujani- word derived from ‘Su’ which
means ‘easy’ and ‘jani’ meaning ‘birth’
Pioneers: Nirmala Devi, Subhadara Devi

14. Bhusra (Muzaffarpur)
Bhusra Mahila Vikas Samiti
Gangapur (Madhubani)
Subhadra Devi

16. Papier Mache
•
•
The motifs used for decorating the items
are inspired from Madhubani painting.
This craft is usually practiced in pockets of
Madhubani clusters.
•
Unlike Kashmiri papier mache, the market
for this craft is dwindling. Most artisans
find it unprofitable.
•
Major products include dolls, small
decorative items, and platters.
•
Papier mache ‘doli’ by Lalita Devi
Traditionally, women used papier mache to
make household utility items like vessels,
and storage containers. Masks were also
made for home décor.
Pioneers: Karpoori Devi, Subhadra Devi,
Lalita Devi.

17. Manjusha Kala and Tikuli Art

18. •
•
According to folklore, Shiva granted permission to
his daughter Bishahari (snake goddess) to worship
earth. To mark this day the Bishahari festival is
celebrated in Bhagalpur and parts of West Bengal,
Jharkhand, Assam and Bangladesh.
•
Another tale talks about Bihula who saved her
husband from dying of a snake bite by appeasing
the snake gods.
•
Traditionally, manjusha were boxes shaped like
temples in which devotees kept their prayer
materials. These boxes are used during the festival.
•
The dominant motif in this art is snake. Mostly
pink, yellow and green colors are used to make the
paintings. Pink signifies offering, yellow is for
prosperity, and green for happiness.
•
Manjusha art by Manoj Kumar
Also known as snake paintings, this art is based on
the story of Bishahari (daughter of the Hindu deity
Shiva).
Apart from paintings on paper, artisans are also
experimenting on stationary items, and bags.

19. •
Tikuli which means ‘bindi’ has
existed since the Mughal era. At that
time gold and silver foil were used on
glass base to make bindis, which
women used as adornment. Now
artisans make dots instead of using
bindis.
•
The present form of the craft was
brought by Upendra Maharathi. He
had seen paintings being done on
hardboard in Japan and adopted the
method to help revive tikuli.
•
Mythological stories, Krishna Raas
Leela are depicted in Tikuli art.
•
Major products include decorative
wall panels
•
Pioneers: Upendra Maharathi, Ashok
Kumar Biswas
Raas Leela by Sohan Kumar Chaudhary

20.  Jute Craft- Patna & Munger
Main Products- Bags, stationery & jewelry
 Applique- Patna
Main Products- Bed sheets & table covers
 Pattharkatti (Stone Carving )- Gaya
Main Products- Religious idols and decorative items
 Rahika (Wood Carving)- Madhubani
Main Products- Decorative items & Madhubani inspired wall panels
 Aari Work (embroidery)- Aara
Main Products- Dress material & sarees
 Bamboo Craft- Vaishali
Main Products- Decorative items
 Weaving- Nalanda
Main Products- Sarees & bed sheets

21. 
Commercialization of Madhubani craft started in 1960 and it was spearheaded by the
likes of Kamla Chattopadhaya, Bhaskar Kulkarni, Puppul Jaykar, Upendra Maharathi.
They were all associated with different government handicraft departments.

Award winning artists like Mahasundari Devi, Ganga Devi, Jagdamba Devi, and Sita Devi
have also contributed in popularizing Madhubani painting. Their legacy still lives on and
many visitors come to the villages especially looking for their art. Their family continue to
use their style of art.

One of the biggest challenge is the erosion of traditional knowledge due to
commercialization. Young artisans are not aware of the meaning or significance of many
of the motifs. Many artisans fear that the history of the crafts may soon be forgotten.

Artisans feel that the history of the craft can be conserved by setting up museums in
villages. Since many of the villages are known for a particular style of art artisans also feel
that this can be used for rural tourism.

There is very little documentation of some of the art forms like Tikuli, Nalanda weaves
and Manjusha due to which they are still relatively unknown.

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