Handmade in India

Production clusters
Madhubani district:
Madhubani town:
Jitwarpur village
Rati village
Darbhanga district
Products
Painting on paper
Painting on sari
Tools
Various brushes
The Dushadhs draw their visual language from a vital oral
tradition.Most of the narratives in their paintings and mud relief
depict the exploits of Raja Sailesh,the hero of their
epic,Mahagatha.The episodes of this epic show the struggles
between the sub-altern deities and those of the dominant castes.The
elephant,which is the mount of Raja Sailesh,is a motif that appears
commonly,along with motifs drawn from nature.
Godana,which means tatto,is a skillful adaption of body
art motifs into painting.Religious symbols are
popular,especially those with talismanic power,as are
geometric designs,nature motifs and lucky charms like
the swastika.By creatively repeating and juxtoposing
motifs,the women make the tattoos come alive on walls
and on paper.
Inset Fish motif from the kahbar ghar.
1. Detail from a godana painting-Matsya Avataar
from the Dasavatar,the ten incarnations of Lord
Vishnu.
2. Detail from a Dushadh painting.The Dushadh
community has evolved its own style of
Madhubani painting.
3 Detail from a Dushadh painting;the themes of
the paintings are based on motifs from
nature,legendary heroes and mythological stories.
4 Lord Krishna surrounded by gopis,cow
herdesses,playing his flute;a detail from a
Dushadh painting.
5 Lord Krishna on a tree with his flute;a detail
from a Dushadh painting.