7 Types of Indian Folk Paintings

There are various types of Indian Folk Paintings based on different times and regions of the country. Some of which might have similar concepts.

India has a long tradition of artistic excellence and painting is one of the major mediums that have been used to express it. Paintings flourished in India since ancient times. Archeologists have found wall paintings in the parts of India, which suggest that even the early historic man in India was engaged in activities of art and leisure.

History of paintings can be known from primitive rock paintings. They were followed by the painted pottery of the Indus Valley Civilization, but the real beginning of the art of painting began from the Gupta Age. Those artistic values and approaches are visible in Indian Folk paintings that are still made though they are not well known in commercial platforms.

1. Pattachitra – Folk Paintings

Pattachitra is a traditional and ancient artwork originated from Odisha and are made in Odisha and West Bengal. The theme of Odia painting centres round the Jagannath and the Vaishnava sect. Since beginning of Pattachitra culture, Lord Jagannath who was an incarnation of Lord Krishna has been the major source of inspiration. The subject matter of Pattachitra is mostly mythological, religious stories and folk lore.

The painting the ‘pattachitra’ resemble the old murals of Odisha especially religious centres of Puri, Konark and Bhubaneshwar region, dating back to the 5th century BC.

These paintings are done on small strips of cotton cloth. The canvas is prepared by coating the clothing with a mixture of chalk and gum made from tamarind seeds. Then it is rubbed by taking the help of two different stones and then the cloth is dried. The mixture of gum and chalk gives the cloth’s surface a leathery finish on which the artists paint with vegetable, earth and stone colours.

Painters do not use pencil or charcoal for the preliminary drawings. They are so expert in the line that they simply draw directly with the brush either in light red or yellow. Then the colours are filled in. The final lines are drawn and the patta is given a lacquer coating to protect it from weather, thus making the painting glossy. This process of glazing or varnishing is quite interesting. The painting is held over a fireplace so that the back of the painting is exposed to heat. On the surface of the painting fine lacquer is applied.

2. Saura – Folk Paintings

Saura Paintings are made by Saura Tribe from Southern Odisha. Saura Tribes are amongst the most ancient tribes of India.

The Saura wall paintings are called Italons or Ikons (or Ekons) and are dedicated to Idital (also Edital) the main deity of the Sauras. These paintings draw upon tribal folklore and have ritualistic importance. Ikons make extensive use of symbolically pregnant icons that mirror the quotidian chores of the Sauras. People, horses, elephants, the sun and the moon and the tree of life are recurring motifs in these ikons.

Ikons were originally painted on the walls of the Saura’s adobe huts. The paintings’ backdrop is prepared from red or yellow ochre earth which is then painted over using brushes fashioned from tender bamboo shoots. Ekons use natural dyes and chromes derived from ground white stone, hued earth, and vermilion and mixtures of tamarind seed, flower and leaf extracts.

3. Warli – Folk Paintings

Warli painting is a form of tribal art mostly created by the tribal people from the North Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra, India. This tribal art was originated in Maharashtra, where it is still practiced today.

The Warli Painting tradition are among the finest examples of the folk style of paintings. The style of Warli painting was not recognized until the 1970s, even though the tribal style of art is thought to date back as early as 10th century A.D. Warli culture is centered on the concept of mother nature and elements of nature are often focal points depicted in Warli painting. Farming is their main way of life and a large source of food for the tribe. They greatly respect nature and wildlife for the resources that they provide for life.

Warli artists use their clay huts as the backdrop for their paintings. The walls are made of a mixture of branches, earth and red brick that make a red ochre background for the paintings. The Warli only paint with a white pigment made from a mixture of rice flour and water, with gum as a binder. A bamboo stick is chewed at the end to give it the texture of a paintbrush.

Jivya Soma Mashe, the artist in Thane district has played a great role in making the Warli paintings more popular. He has been honored with a number of national and central level awards for his paintings. In the year 2011, he was awarded Padmashree.

The central motif in each ritual painting is the square, known as the “chauk” or “chaukat” and the scenes portraying hunting, fishing, and farming, and trees and animals.

4. Pithora Paintings

Pithora is a ritualistic painting done on the walls by the Rathwa and Bhilala tribes who live in central Madhya Pradesh. Pithora paintings are executed on three inner walls of their houses. These paintings have significance in their lives and executing the Pithora paintings in their homes brings peace, prosperity and happiness. There is never an attempt to imitate nature: a horse or a bull, which might be a vision of a god, impresses him with only one central quality.

Pithora paintings are more of a ritual than an art form. These rituals are performed either to thank God or for a wish or a boon to be granted. A Pithora is always located at the threshold, outside the first front wall or inside on the walls of the first room as one enters a house. Three walls are prepared for the painting, the front wall and the two on either side of it. The front or central wall is very large, twice the size of each of the sidewalls.

These walls are treated with two layers of cow dung paste and one layer of white chalk powder. Unmarried girls bring in these materials. The main wall of the verandah that divides it from the kitchen is considered sacred to the Pithora. The wall paintings related to the legends of creation and Pithoro, are done on this wall. The two sidewalls of the veranda are also painted with figures of minor deities, ghosts and ancestors.

5. Manjusha Painting

Manjushas are an folk traditional Indian art form originated from ancient city of Anga which is known as Bhagalpur in modern day . They are temple-shaped boxes comprising eight pillars. They are made of bamboo, jute, and paper. Manjushas also contain paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses and other characters.

This art originated in the state capital, Champa. Which is currently located in Bhagalpur Bihar. Based on folklore, Bihula traveled to heaven by water carrying the body of her famine, fictitious, serpent-bitten husband Bala-Lakhendra in a multi-story boat NumaManjusha built by Dev Shilpi Vishwakarma, and returned her dead husband alive and called Sati. This incident is the story of Shiva’s human daughter Mansha, Chandra Saudagar and Bihula’s rituals, struggle in the Anga region.

The colors which are mainly used in painting are Pink, yellow and green. In some cases, the common auxiliary colors associated with these three colors, such as green and orange, are also used. Black color is used in the human shape to bring out the snake-venom. These colors have esoteric and symbolic meanings. The pink and yellow colors signify excitement and exuberance, while green is a symbol of gloom and growth. The traditional artist of Manjusha painting, Chakravarti Devi used natural colors. But now posters, water, oil and ‘acrylic color’ are being used.

6. Thagka Painting

Thangka Paintings are common in Indian States of Sikkim, Himanchal Pradesh, Ladakh region and Arunanchal Pradesh. These were originally used as a medium of reverence that evoked the highest ideals of Buddhism.

Thangkas can be divided into three types according to their depiction and meaning.

• The first one that shows the life of Buddha from his birth to his enlightenment.
• The second kind is more abstract. It represents Buddhist belief of life and death including ‘Wheel of Life’.
• The third kind represents paintings that are used for offerings to the deities or meditation.

Whereas typical tangkas are fairly small, with painted area between about 20 to 50 centimeters high, there are also giant festival tangkas, usually appliqué, and designed to be unrolled against a wall in a monastery for particular religious occasions. These are likely to be wider than they are tall, and may be sixty or more feet across and perhaps twenty or more high. In Bhutan at least these are called thongdrels. There are also larger than average thangkas that were designed for altars or display in temples.

Tangkas are painted on cotton or silk. The most common is a loosely woven cotton produced in widths from 40 to 58 cm (16 – 23 inches). While some variations do exist, tangkas wider than 45 cm (17 or 18 inches) frequently have seams in the support. The paint consists of pigments in a water-soluble medium of animal glue. Both mineral and organic pigments are used. The paint was applied as a warm liquid, mixed shortly before application.

7. Madhubani – Folk Paintings

Traditionally done by the women of various communities in Mithila region, Madhubani Paintings are also called Mithila Paintings. It originated from Madhubani district of the Mithila region of Bihar. These paintings have a common theme and are usually drawn from religious motifs of the Hindus. The figures in the painting are symbolic. For example, fish depicts good luck and futility.

The paintings were traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts, but now they are also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas. This painting is done with a variety of tools, including fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks and using natural dyes and pigments. The colors used are derived from plants. For example, Ochre, Lampblack and Red are used for reddish-brown and black, respectively. It is characterised by its eye-catching geometrical patterns.

Madhubani paintings mostly depict people and their association with nature and scenes and deities from the ancient epics. 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.