Discover the beauty of India's native art

The tribal and folk art have survived the onslaught of time and blended with the varied culture of India

Published: Apr 16, 2016

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Patachitra, Odisha
With Raghurajpur as its centre, and the region around Puri popular for these scroll paintings, initially made on palm leaf or cloth, and now on paper, the Patachitra tradition is inspired by the Jagannath and Vaishnava cult and centres around the worship of these deities at their temples. More here...

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Sanjhi, Mathura
Though it has been criticised for being static—Sanjhi is, after all, a paper cutting technique—in the hands of a master wielder of its formidable and specially constructed scissors, it can produce works of great beauty. More here...

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Molela terracotta, Rajasthan

Molela village in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan has gained the distinction of making flat surface terracotta tablets embossed with images of tribal gods and goddesses that make their way across the country to be sold in urban markets. More here...

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Pichwai, Rajasthan
Pichwai paintings are made on cloth and were traditionally created as curtains or backdrops for the idol of Krishna in the village of Nathdwara, a major pilgrimage centre outside Udaipur. More here...

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Madhubani, Bihar

Probably India’s most well-known folk art form, Madhubani — or, correctly, Mithila — paintings date back to the celebration of Sita’s wedding with Rama, but have been likened to works by Miro and Picasso by some critics. More here...

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Phad, Rajasthan
There was a time when the Bhopas, or bards, of the Nayaka community in Rajasthan would travel across the state to entertain villagers. Their tools included a painted scroll and a lantern. The scroll—or phad—contained vignettes of the life of Pabuji, or of Dev Narayan, folk heroes enshrined in the paintings, and hence in collective memory, as deities, thus making these enactments sacred as well as entertaining. More here...

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Gond, Central India

The tribal Gond community spreads across Madhya Pradesh and parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. More here...

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Kalighat Pat, Bengal
What began literally as a tradition of souvenirs for pilgrims and visitors at the Kali temple in Kolkata is now seen as one of the most important movements of art that has inspired generations of artists in West Bengal with its strong outlines and slight hint of shading. The Kalighat patuas, or artists, combined the local indigenous tradition with what they saw as Western intervention, to result in a style that marked India’s earliest shift towards modernism. More here...

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Tanjore, Tamil Nadu
Tanjore — now Thanjavur — paintings originated in the 17th century Maratha court and are an amalgamation of Deccani, Maratha and Company styles, though their essence is uniquely South Indian. More here...