Three Madhubani paintings framed together. Madhubani painting hails from the Mithila region of Bihar state in the Northern Gangetic Plains. Traditionally practised by women, who used natural dyes and colours that they made themselves, with twigs, and even bare hands to paint, Madhubani has expanded to include male artists. Mythology has it that the art of madhubani dates back to the wedding of the Hindu God Ram, and his wife Sita, when Sita's father, King Janak, invited artists to capture their wedding. Whatever the truth, wedding processsions amd rituals do feature as prominent motifs in Madhubani art, alongside nature and geometry.
