Manjusha Painting

Originating in the Bhagalpur region of Bihar, Manjusha or Angika art prominently features snake motifs and is painted on jute boxes and paper.

Thangka Paintings

Practiced in Sikkim, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, Thangkas are Buddhist religious paintings made on cotton canvas using natural dyes. They depict Buddha’s life, cosmology and meditation deities and are often framed with silk brocade.

Warli Paintings

Dating back to 2500–3000 BCE, Warli paintings are tribal wall murals from the Maharashtra-Gujarat border. Using simple geometric shapes, they depict daily life, rituals, festivals and fertility symbols. Traditionally painted with white pigment on red-ochre backgrounds.

Kalamkari Paintings

Derived from the word kalam (pen), Kalamkari involves hand-painting on cotton fabric using natural vegetable dyes. Major centres include Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Themes include Hindu mythology and decorative motifs.

Paitkar Paintings

Practiced by tribal communities in Jharkhand, Paitkar paintings are among India’s oldest art forms. They are associated with rituals, yajnas and beliefs about life after death. This art is currently endangered.

Kalighat Paintings

Developed in 19th-century Kolkata, Kalighat paintings were created by rural migrants near the Kalighat temple. Painted with watercolours on mill paper, they initially depicted religious themes and later evolved to comment on social issues, hypocrisy and changing gender roles.

Patua Art

Originating in Bengal around a thousand years ago, Patua art consists of scroll paintings accompanied by songs narrating religious, social or political stories. Traditionally painted on cloth, modern versions use paper and poster colours.