INDIAN CULTURE AND ART

Aripan is a variation of Rangoli, practiced in Bihar. The Aripan floor painting is derived from the Sanskrit word Alepan(meaning - to smear). It refers to smearing the ground with cow dung and clay for the purpose of purification.                      Aripan made for a pooja     Initially, Aripan designs were made as an offering to appease the Gods to make the cultivable land fertile and fruitful. However, in the present day it has become a part of the numerous day to day ceremonies and rituals. Aripan is drawn, both for adornment and purification. Origin of Aripan: Aripan is a type of Mithila art that originated in the Mithila region of Bihar, particularly in the village of Madhubani. The origin of the art is shrouded in mystery. It is generally believed that it was created during the epic period when King Janak of Mithila ordered the marriage hall to be decorated for his daughter Sita’s marriage to Lord Rama. Some ...

MITHILA PAINTING: A BRIEF HISTORY Mithila painting, as a domestic ritual activity, was unknown to the outside world until the massive Bihar earthquake of 1934. House walls had tumbled down, and the British colonial officer in Madhubani District, William G. Archer, inspecting the damage "discovered" the paintings on the newly exposed interior walls of homes. Archer - later to become the South Asia Curator at London's Victoria and Albert Museum - was stunned by the beauty of the paintings and similarities to the work of modern Western artists like Klee, Miro, and Picasso. During the 1930s he took black and white photos of some of these paintings, the earliest images we have of them. Then in a 1949 article in the Indian art journal, Marg, he brought the wall paintings to public attention.                   Then a second natural disaster, a severe draught in the late 1960s, prompted the All India Handicrafts Board to encourage a fe...