The Traditional folk is considered the heart of India. It’s something which has been there in India for ages. It has been passed from one generation to another.
As we all know that India is a culturally inclined country. There are a variety of art forms that have evolved over centuries. Most of them are untouched by modernization and few of them are evolving according to the current scenarios.
Gods and Goddesses are highly involved in the traditional art forms. In some of the other ways, pictures related to them can be found.
Earlier natural colors obtained from nature were used to make paintings. Soil, leaves, mud, charcoal were the naturally occurring substances that were used to develop the different shades.
Let’s have a look at a few of the folk arts which are still practiced in few parts of the Indian subcontinent.
1. The Traditional Madhubani Painting
Madhubani painting is also known as Mithila art. It is said to be originated in the kingdom of Raja Janak.
Raja Janak is the father of Sita who was the wife of Lord Rama ( in the Ramayana ). The paintings are still practiced in Bihar by woman artists. Most of the paintings are related to Gods, flora, and fauna.
2. Patachitra
This beautiful piece of the art form is done on a piece of cloth. It originated from West Bengal Odisha. The art consists of pictures of Gods and Goddesses with sharp angular bold lines. It is said to be originated in the 5th century in the religious hub like Konark and Puri.
3. Manjusha
Traditional Manjusha is believed to be one of the oldest art forms of India. It is one of its kind which is displayed in series representing a story within it. Its origin is Bihar then Anga Pradesh. Earlier the artisans only use to make products related to a festival called Bishahari Festival. The snake God is worshipped in this festival and it took place in the district of Bhagalpur. The art flourished very well in the British era, however, in the middle of the 20th century it started fading away.
4. Parsi Embroidery
Parsi embroidery has been a part of India’s diverse textile heritage for a very long time. This traditional art form took birth in Iran and with time it drew influences from Chinese, European, Persian and Indian culture. Parsi Gara is traditional saris that depict Parsi embroidery. It takes about 9 months to complete a sari.
5. The traditional art of puppetry
It is said that the traditional art of puppetry has excited in India for more than 3000 years. There are so many forms of puppetry art that we are not even aware of like Kathaputli from Rajasthan, shadow puppetry from Kerala and Kundhei from Orissa are a few of the traditional art forms that are hardly able to survive.
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