SOHRAI PAINTINGS FOLK ART OF JHARKHAND by Suman

SOHRAI PAINTINGS FOLK ART OF JHARKHAND by Suman Toppo, KV Dipitoli, Ranchi

The art of painting walls in India is centuries old. There are many styles of wall painting art depending on the culture of the people varying from different states and regions of the country. Today, we will be talking about one of the oldest art forms of wall painting that has continued since 10, 0004, 000 BC; “Khovar and Sohrai”: The Marriage and Harvest Art of Jharkhand.

Initially, the Khovar and Sohrai paintings were done on the caves which were later practised on the walls of the house as the civilisation took place. The Khovar and Sohrai paintings are also known as the wall paintings of Hazaribagh. The wall paintings of the Hazaribagh area in Jharkhand, Central India are considered auspicious symbolic presences and intimately related to fertility and fecundity. Putli Ganju

Sohrai: The Harvest Art The Sohrai art is also known as harvest art as it is done day after Diwali festival for celebrating good harvest. During the celebrations the cattle is worshipped as the Goddess of wealth. Sohrai celebrates fertility in the harvest. This harvest art is a painted artform, where the walls are painted with animal motifs. Popular Sohrai motifs are animals, birds, lizards, elephants and Pashupati (the creator of all animals), who is usually shown riding on the back of an animal. The elephant is also a symbol of paddy clan and an auspicious symbol connected with the harvest.

The Sohrai painting is done by the women of the house they use black mud (kali matti ), white mud (dudhi matti) / Charak mati , red mud (Geru), and yellow mud (pila matti) to layer the walls. The designs are then painted using chewed saal wood tooth-sticks (datwan) or cloth swabs daubed in the different earthy colours. In Sohrai art, the red line is drawn first as it represents the ‘blood of the ancestors’, procreation and fertility. The next line is black which signifies eternal dead stone and mark of the God, Shiva. The next all-encompassing outer line stands in its traditional values of protection, fidelity, and chastity. The white is painted with the last year’s rice, ground with milk into a gruel, this represents food.

Famous Artists: 1. 2. 3. 4. Putli Ganju Parvati Devi Filomina Lakra Malo Devi

Parwati Devi

Putli Ganju

Putli Ganju

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