From Chhattisgarh to Jharkhand: Exploring Indian Folk Art & Traditional Art Forms from 28 States
- Bipasha Ray
- 4 days ago
- 11 min read
India - a country of great diversity. Each region not only has a multitude of languages, customs and food, but is also filled with examples of creative expression. Where art comes alive in every stone, scroll, and sacred wall. With rich illustrations dedicated to faith and devotion to mesmerizing compositions of the Indian folk Art. From the elaborate carving seen in Puri Jagannath Temple, the fine lines of Madhubani to the vibrant palette of Warli, Indian folk art and traditional Indian art forms present a kaleidoscope of stories of faith, folklore, resistance, and everyday life. Each Indian state has had a journey of art and storytelling that has its own tone of reference, reflecting its territory, its community, and its cultural identity.
Journey into the vibrant art forms of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand reflecting the regions’ tribal heritage, with traditions like Godna tattoos and Sohrai-Khovar murals deeply rooted in ritual, identity, and everyday life. Welcome to the world of Indian folk Art! In this colorful narrative of various types of form in art in over 28 states, we will be unraveling a dynamic tale of the country’s rich artistic legacy in its truest essence.
Andhra Pradesh – Kalamkari
Kalamkari is the pen art from the words `kalam` (pen) and `kari` (work or craftsmanship), also known as the pen and brush art form which evolved in Machilipatnam. Kalamkari is hand-printed or hand-painted on fabric to express stories from Hindu epics, textiles and temple stories. These scenes were painted and narrated by chitrakattis, the storytellers, planning Kalamkari in the population of towns and villages. The art also lives on today as a very much-loved process of Indian traditional art.
The process of this art making involves:
Natural Dyes and bamboo or date palm pens are used
Themes are based on mythology, like the Ramayan and the Mahabharat
Machilipatnam (block-print) and Srikalahasti (hand-drawn) styles are used for this art
Designs involve detailed floral borders and divine iconography
Traditionally created on cotton or silk fabric
2. Arunachal Pradesh – Thangka
Thangka paintings are the sacred Buddhist Art paintings illustrated on cloth. The painting consists of visual texts, representing deities, mandalas, or other subjects of Buddhist Teachings. The Thangkha tradition in Tawang has come primarily from Tibetan culture; these paintings are part of a spiritual aspect and provide a rich absorption of Buddhist philosophy.
The process of this art making involves:
Painted in framed scrolls of brocade silk
Traditionally revolves around the lives of Buddha, Boddhisatvas, and mandalas
Used for meditation, teaching, and temple rituals
Involves intricate symmetrical and symbolic forms
3. Assam – Assamese Scroll Painting
The traditional scroll paintings from Assam emerged from the satras (Vaishnavite monasteries), where they were made to record and share religious stories and knowledge, embodying the cultural and spiritual legacy of Assam.
The process of this art making involves:
Illustrations are based on manuscripts combining image and text
Strong influences of Vaishnavite and folklore
Hand-painted with natural dyes
It is traditionally drawn on Sanchi-pat (bark-based paper)
Involves stylized linear figures with decorative borders
4. Bihar – Madhubani (Mithila) Painting
Madhubani art is developed in Mithila in Bihar. It is traditionally created by women on mud walls during festivals, and the subject matter included gods, nature and folklore; always created with fingers, twigs and natural dyes.
The process of this art making involves:
Traditionally involves five styles: Bharni, Katchni, Tantrik, Godna, and Kobhar
Includes mythological and subject matter inspired by nature
It is characterized by double borders and vibrant colors
Filled with floral or geometric motifs with no empty spaces
It is done on canvas, paper, and cloth
5. Chhattisgarh – Godna
Godna, among the tribal art of Chhattisgarh, refers to a tattoo tradition of Adivasi women. Godna is more than art, it is symbolic and ritualistic, with patterns of identity, caste and life events. It is an expressive type of form that is both spiritual and aesthetic.
The process of this art making involves:
The art is done with soot-based natural ink and metal needles
Tattoo motifs of animals, deities, and tribal symbols
It is performed during rites of passage
The human body becomes a canvas of personal history
Used for Spiritual protection and aesthetic ornamentation.
6. Goa – Folk Paintings
Goan folk art forms is an explosion of coconut masks, seashell crafts, papier-mâché, and wooden lacquerware. Goa's art culture is infused with Portuguese and Konkan influences. Goa's artworks are colorful, eclectic and celebrate its festive nature.
The process of this art making involves:
Crafts are made from coconut shells, seashells, and clay
Papier-mâché figures for folk theatre and festivals
Hindu and Christian devotional motifs
Bright and saturated colors are used
Involves strong coastal and carnival aesthetics
7. Gujarat – Pithora Painting
Pithora paintings, which are sacred wall paintings embodying various deities, are practiced by the Rathwa and Bhilala tribes of Gujarat. Pithora paintings are performed on walls during special rituals, and they will depict items such as horses, gods, and village life. Pithora paintings depict cultural belief rather than aesthetic beauty.
The process of this art making involves:
The art is created by Lakhindra (ritual painter) after prayers
Horses symbolize gods and ancestors
White-washed walls used as canvas
Natural pigments mixed with milk or liquor
Spiritual offering for prosperity or healing
8. Haryana – Sculptural Art
Sculptural art from Haryana is referring to art that is created out of three dimensional figures made from wood, stone, and metal. Haryana's sculptural art thrives in the field of temple architecture and rural based craftsmanship that protects the aesthetic heritage of Haryana.
Typically made for temples and amdirams
Represents religious, folk, and pastoral themes
Wood panels and stone figure
Art that is aesthetic and spiritual
Rooted in agricultural and rural life.
9. Himachal Pradesh - Kangra Painting
Brought forth in the 18th century, Kangra art, also known as Kangra painting, is a form of Pahari painting that is famous for romantic depictions of Radha-Krishna, subtle brushwork, and natural landscapes, and is an epitome of elegance and calmness within Indian art forms.
Soft colors and natural scenery
The focus was on expression and beauty
Natural pigments in a miniature form
Gita Govinda and Bhagavata Purana themes
Detailed backgrounds that included plant life and architecture
10. Jammu & Kashmir - Basholi Painting
Basholi is a lively and colorful miniature painting style prominent for its bold lines, renowned for its bright colors and stylized features. Basholi painting flourished in the 17th century and presents subject matter including mythology, devotion, and royalty.
Pure primary colors
Faces were elongated with almond-shaped eyes
Ornate borders and jewel-like detail
Themes from Rasamanjari and religious texts
Heavy influence on later Pahari schools
11. Jharkhand – Sohrai & Khovar Painting
Sohrai and Khovar paintings have a tribal mural pictorial tradition, with women painting these works predominantly using natural pigments within their ritual of fertility and marriage. They used to be created for quite specific rituals - but are now being represented in public institutions type of spaces, as proud indicators of the art form of Jharkhand.
Painted using fingers, twigs, combs
Natural colours of clay, charcoal and cow dung
Sohrai for harvest celebrations, Khovar during weddings
Geometric images of animals and objects of nature
Women practice the forms, often through generations.
12. Karnataka – Chittara
Chittara are traditional, contemporary pictorial arts produced from the local tribes of women in the Malnad region. Chittara involves painting intricate geometric based designed patterns onto red mud walls and applying rice paste (in many forms) to them. The pattern designs depict and honor life cycles and religious celebrations in rural sub-districts in Karnataka.
Symmetrical designs with white, yellow (turmeric), red (kumkum), black (charcoal, wood, etc.).
Drawn using twigs, fingers, and natural brushes commonly used by the Devaru in everyday work.
Represent the significant events of marriage, birth, harvest.
Usually done on the floor and wall space.
Practices are closely tied to Devaru community rituals.
13. Kerala - Kalamezhuthu
A ritualistic floor decoration, Kalamezhuthu is art of figures of deities made with coloured powder during temple festivals. This short-lived art in Kerala combines devotion and aesthetic brilliance in a unique symmetry.
Created using natural coloured powders (kolappodi).
Typically depicts deities including Bhadrakali, Ayyappa, and serpent gods.
Typically drawn onto temple floors during rituals and festivals.
Drawings tend to be extravagant and symmetrical.
The designs are ceremonially destroyed after completion-projecting the significance of impermanence.
14. Ladakh - Thangka Painting
This sacred art form, like in Arunachal and Sikkim, involves scrolls made from cotton, painted with gold infused paints. Thangkas are indeed sacred art that focus on craftsmanship but are accompanied with religious devotion.
Paintings on scrolls attached to silk brocade
Depicted subjects include deities, mandalas, and Buddha's life events
Fine brushes and mineral-based pigments were used
Utilized for meditation, religious instruction, as well as ceremonial use
Other artifact attributes, were typically preserved in a monastery or family's shrine
15. Madhya Pradesh – Gond Painting
Gond art is a tribal painting tradition that uses natural pigments to represent flora, fauna, and mythological creatures. The artist Jangarh Singh Shyam is credited for raising awareness of this application of the vivid folk-art style of dots and lines to a global audience.
Created by the Gond tribal community
The inspiration for Gond paintings comes from nature, myths, and village life
Uses dots, dashes, and lines to create images
Traditionally painted with natural colours, now additionally in acrylic
Use of natural pigments revived and made popular by Jangarh Singh Shyam
16. Maharashtra – Warli Painting
Warli paintings, a simplistic representation of life, is a review of art that is tribal in nature and is performed using white paint on mud walls. Warli paintings depict stick figures engaged in a variety of activities, geometrical shapes, and other concepts that depict a harmonious relationship with nature.
Stick figures and triangles denote both human beings and animals
Painted in rice paste onto red mud walls
The ideas represented are typical of marriage, farming and celebration
There are no facial features - all emphasis is on rhythm and symmetry
17. Manipur - Block Painting
Considered an ancient textile craft, block printing in Manipur has been printed on fabrics and paper for millennia. By using carved wooden blocks, this traditional textile art has added works with patterns & tradition to the Manipuri cultural life.
Being created now in textile, canvas and home décor
Designs are applied using hand-carved wooden blocks
Patterns are symbolic, repetitive and place specific
Often found on shawls, tablecloths, and also as paper art
Shows the culture of Manipur and its environment
Keeps textile design functional in daily use.
18. Meghalaya - Wood Carving
From cane and bamboo crafts to wood carving, the crafts of Meghalaya encompass complexity. In Garo hills, woodworkers & craftsman carve wood with religious iconography & motifs of everyday objects, while expressing tribal storylines.
Created from locally sourced wood
Subjects include ordinary life and sacred symbols
Used in furniture, masks, and decorative objects
Communicated via oral and practical skills
Combines bamboo, cane, and textiles in the design
19. Mizoram - Textile Weaving
In Mizo textile art, women actively weave complex patterns into fibre which represents status and clan identity. Weaving represents an important sense of life, celebration and cultural continuation in Mizoram.
Woven on backstrap looms by Mizo women
Patterns denote tribal affiliations, clans, and social standing
Uses cotton, silk, and natural fibers
Central to ceremonies, weddings, and day-to-day life
Formal design includes stripes, diamonds, and motifs found in nature
20.Nagaland - Cloth Painting
Cloth painting in Nagaland is primarily carried out by the Ao, Lotha, and Rengma tribes. The cloth paintings illustrate tribal myths and customs with images, as well as patterns and symbols, which are vividly painted on handwoven textiles.
Strong tribal symbolism and iconography
Painted or embroidered on traditional shawls
Colors derived from natural dyes
Represents heritage, war, and spirituality
Each tribe has unique motifs and meanings
21. Odisha – Pattachitra
Pattachitra is a true Indian traditional art, where cloth is painted in great detail, drawing on the Jagannath cult, and Vaishnava mythology. Pattachitra is rich in mythology and is painted in natural colours, with a lot of ornamental borders.
Rich borders, with elaborate pictorial decorative mythological scenes
Painted on cotton cloth, using chalk and gum
Natural colours created from stones, minerals, and plants
Subject matter includes Krishna Leela, Ramayana, and deities
Circular composition format with rich decorative quality
22. Punjab – Mud Work
Mud work. Mud work started as a purposeful protection ritual. Originating as a mud-cure for health and wellbeing, it became elaborate decorative wall adornments for display during festivals, that then became enclosed within a traditional mud wall directed inside during the festivals. Mud work became floral motifs of biggest flowers that were structured around tiny mirrors plated, together with structural patterns as symbols of prosperity and protection with respect to health and wellbeing.
Rangoli artists use mud, hay and mirrors for relief work
Made almost exclusively by rural women (especially for Navratri and Diwali)
Usually floral, peacock, and geometric
Often enhanced with chuna (lime), cow dung, and paint
Symbolizes prosperity, fertility and well-being
23. Rajasthan – Phad Painting
Phad painting illustrates the stories of local folk heroes like Pabuji on scrolls that can measure 30 feet long making it largely an extremely portable temple. In Phad painting, the figures of the deities are in bold outlines with large areas of color made from vegetable colors.
The scrolls carry lengths of up to 30 feet for storytelling
The figures are bright and are defined by flat perspective and boldly delineated areas of color
The paintings are made on cloth with vegetable dyes
Performed by Bhopas (singer-priests)
The entire story across several scenes come to life in a single large canvas
24. Sikkim – Thangka Painting
Thangka also depicts a Tibetan style of illustration in Sikkim - pieces made on silk of the scroll type that represent Buddhist deities and teachings. Thangkas were created as devotional objects, along with being used in monasteries and ritual usages.
Shows representation of deities from the Buddhist pantheon, lineage trees, and cosmos diagrams from Buddhist cosmology
Painted on cotton/silk with natural pigments
Outline painted in gold, surrounded in silk brocade
Traditionally preserved in a temple context, shown in religious ceremonies
Tibetan techniques and theologies traceable in the art form
25. Tamil Nadu – Tanjore Painting
Tanjore paintings honor predominantly Hindu gods and goddesses through gold-leaf accents and rich colors in painting on wood panels, the images are a larger-than-life celebration of religious art found in Tamil culture.
Paintings on wooden bundlings (palagai padam)
Centering on deities from the Hindu pantheon
Depicted with gold foil, semi-precious stones, and glass inlay
Dense rich colour and symmetrical design
Passion of the Tamil culture in devotional practice
26. Telangana - Cheriyal Scroll Painting
Cheriyal scrolls are a dying tradition, but one of a kind. Cheriyal scroll painting is visual storytelling with bright, primary colors. Like comic books, there was a sequence to the painted scrolls; this was the art form of the village folk-lores storyteller.
Long scrolls (up to 40–45 feet) painted in panels
Themes from Puranas, epics, and village tales
Composed of natural colours and khadi fabric
Painted in similar form to comic-books with sequential scenes
Traditionally utilized by Kaki Padagollu bards
27. Tripura - Bamboo Craft
Tripura is recognised as a leader in bamboo handicrafts. From practical products to decorative items, cane and bamboo crafts dominate the local economy. The functional and aesthetic value of these pieces make them highly sought-after globally.
Traditionally utilized by Kaki Padagollu bards
Used in furniture, baskets, mats and decorative art
Light, durable, eco-friendly
Exported Bamboo sticks for incense and weaving
Craftspeople employ elaborate woven and bound styles
Supported by the Tripura Bamboo Mission.
28. Uttar Pradesh - Sanjhi Art
Sanjhi, the stencil art associated with Vrindavan features intricate paper cut-outs documenting Krishna’s leelas. The art is generally practiced by priests serving the temple and is thus devotional yet meditative in nature.
Crafted by cutting intricate designs out of handmade paper
Themes include Krishna’s Raas Leela and floral motifs
Performed by priests in temples as a spiritual offering
Demonstrates precision, patience and devotion
Used during Janmashtami and other Krishna festivals
Every state in India has its own story, from the symbolic tattoos of Chhattisgarh to the scrolls of Andhra Pradesh, or the devotional paintings of Odisha or Jharkhand. Indian folk art and traditional India art forms are more than creative expressions—they are expressions of India’s people, culture, and heritage. Collectively, they are what make up the Indian tradition-both past and present family traditions and inspire future generations.
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