Arts Of India

Owing to a diverse range of tribal groups residing in India, several forms of tribal paintings have evolved here. A few of them are mentioned below. Warli Folk Paintings: Originated from Maharashtra, it is famous for its wall paintings of geometrical shapes and patterns like circles, squares, triangles, and so on. Madhubani Art : Originated from Bihar, these paintings are created on mud walls that are freshly plastered. They involve pictures of Shiva, Saraswati, Krishna, Durga, Sun, Moon, flowers, trees, animals, etc. Gond Art : Originated from Madhya Pradesh, they are curved on mud walls, canvas, clothes or paper, and have many details, colours, dots, lines, dashes, humour, and mystery. Bhil Art : Originated from the tribal community of the Central belt of India, these paintings have dots in various colours and include the carvings of nature, Gods, Sun, Moon, etc. Tanjore Paintings or Thanjavur Paintings: Originated from the Maratha Court of Thanjavur, these paintings are famo...

Board games were very common indoor games in the royal courts of ancient kingdoms. Most board games were developed to train and educate young princes about warfare and kingship. Some important traditional board games are  Chaturanga  -  It is believed to be the earliest Indian board game that has been developed into modern  Chess.  Played on a square chequered board, this game consists of miniatures of the king, queen, army, elephant horse, etc which move across the board by following some rules. The purpose of this game was to teach the young princes about the four  Anga  or wings of the military i.e the infantry, the elephants, the chariots, and the cavalry, and teach them the strategies of warfare.  Pachisi  -   It is an important ancient board game which is also known as  Choupad  and  Pasha,  whose reference is found in  Mahabharata.  It is a 2-4 player game played on a chequered board shaped like ...

Originally called ‘Kosa silk’ in Sanskrit, Indian tussar, also known as ‘tropical tussar’ is an exclusive fabric manufactured in the country. Tussar silk exhibits a rich texture and its natural gold colour makes it parallel to a natural treasure. India is the second-largest producer of this fabric with the Bhagalpur district of Bihar standing at the peak having the largest amount of tussar silk being manufactured. The history of ‘Bhagalpuri Silk’ traces back to almost 200 years ago, when the highly skilled craftsmen initiated an innovative way of dyeing the fabric. This unique technique of dyeing is what sets them apart.  Gradually, Jharkhand has also come up with a large number of tussar silk production. It is the Kharsawa district of this state that houses numerous experienced tribal workers who have engaged themselves in passing their craftsmanship down the generations. Other regions that produce tussar silk include the Malda districts of West Bengal, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Ch...

Being the cradle of variety and diversity, India is a land of several indigenous games and toys. They are not only sources of merriment but also the reflections of the art and culture of a particular area of the country. The wide range of such games includes playing with different types of indigenous dolls, blocks, puzzles, board games, and outdoor games like  Kabaddi ,  Kho Kho, Gilli Danda . In this article, we will throw some light on such indigenous games and toys of India in detail.  History of Indian Traditional Games and Toys  Archaeological findings have proved the existence of toys since  Indus Valley   Civilization . Toys like toy carts, dancing women, etc. made of  terra cotta  or metal alloys like Bronze were found. Epics like  Ramayana  and  Mahabharata  also include depictions of games and toys played by the Princes and Royalty which were mostly board games. The  Swadeshi Movement  popularised Indian tra...

Jamini Roy Art is a painting style developed by the famous Indian artist Jamini Roy. Jamini Roy was an Indian painter (11th April 1887-24th April 1972) whose contribution to Indian art is unfathomable. He was a student of Government College of Art, Kolkata under the guidance of famous painter Abanindranath Tagore. Although he was taught the traditional Western art methods, soon he looked for new inspiration in Indian traditional folk art and created his own originality. He became best known for blending traditional Indian art and Western art for creating unique and complex works.  Painting Style and its Development After graduating from the Government College of Art, Jamini Roy used to get regular commissions for portraits drawn by using traditional Western techniques during 1916. But with the surge in nationalism and freedom movement at that time, he consciously rejected the Western-style and delved into Indian traditional and folk artforms to get his inspiration for painting an...

The crafts of India are diverse and depict rich history, culture, religion, and civilization. The craft of the different states of  India  reflect the influence of different cultural patterns and hold a strong story behind its origin. For over decades, crafts have been rooted as a symbol of culture and tradition within different communities of India. Different types of Indian Traditional Crafts Each state of our incredible India showcases its own unique charm. When it comes to handicrafts, the exquisite and glorious craftsmanship leaves us mesmerized. Here is a list of traditional Indian crafts that have defined refinement since time immemorial. Bamboo Craft Work :  Bamboo Craft is one of the oldest crafts better-known in India. It’s unanimously practiced in different regions throughout India. Indian artisans craft beautiful decorative pieces from bamboo. Other bamboo products range widely from boxes, chairs, teapots, baskets, handbags, etc. Throughout the years bamboo cr...

Hailing from the state of Gujarat, Mata Ni Pachedi art literally means " behind the Mother Goddess ". This textile-painting artform generally depicts images of the temple of the Mother Goddess on cloth. Due to its similarity with the  Kalamkari  art of South India, Mata Ni Pachedi art is also known as  Kalamkari of Gujarat.  History of Mata Ni Pachedi Art  The origin of this art brings out one of the social evils of Indian society when the people from the  nomadic Vaghari tribal community  were denied entry to the temples. So they constructed their own shrines and painted the depiction of Mother Goddess on clothes and started worshipping them. That's why this art form is also considered sacred art. The Pachedi is also used as the canopy of the shrines and the paintings exhibit different forms of the Mother Goddess, flora, fauna, and narratives of folktales and mythology with Mother Goddess at the centre. About the Art  These traditional temple han...