The Festival of Chhata

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Largely a secular or cultural event, Biharis have developed some kind of emotional attachment for the festival of Chhata compelling the Government of Bihar to notify it as a state level holiday, and even in private units, corporate or others, the day of Chhata is widely a non-functioning day. The Cultural Department of the Government of Bihar and many of its autonomous units not only facilitate Chhata’s smooth celebration but also organise collateral programs. In the Holiday schedule of the governments of many of the states in India Chhata is a sectional holiday for Biharis. Indian Railways make special arrangements for transporting Biharis to and fro, that is, to their homeland and back, for Chhata-rituals, sometimes by introducing holiday-trains and at other times by adding to the existing ones more coaches.

Chhata or sixth, as it literally means, is celebrated on the sixth day of the month of Kartika, broadly, October/November of the Common Era. It is also celebrated in the month of Vaishakha, that is, April/May. Primarily the festival of crops, celebrated when India’s major crops of Rabi and Kharif are harvested, through Chhata rituals the harvester expresses his gratitude to the Sun-god, the presiding deity of the festival, for giving him good crop. Initially the celebrations were centralized at Surajpur-Baragaon, a village in Bihar having a Sun-temple, where people gathered, bathed in its adjacent tank, and worshipped the Sun-god. The day-long activities and people’s gathering turned into a local fair with market potentials growing around and giving it the shape of a proper fair. In the course of time this cult of Sun-worship and associated festivities moved out of the village and the Sun-temple and became the essential culture of Bihar’s every part, and of every Bihari.

Objects like sugar-cane, sparklers, lamps in trays, elephants loaded with water-pots as if on way to goddess Lakshmi carrying water for her ablution, cut-off banana plants used for decorating doors on auspicious occasions among others suggest that the painting represents the Chhata occurring in the Diwali’s month which is Kartika. The painting has in its centre a rectangle bound by a proper frame. The rectangle contains seven women with trays carrying various fruits and vegetables in them. The east-facing, they are standing in knee-deep waters and are making offering by turning their trays into the pond. In context to the Sun their ‘seven’ number is quite significant. The Sun’s chariot is drawn by seven horses which are sometimes identified as seven days of the week through which the Sun moves. Around the rectangle are painted multifarious activities ranging from caressing a child or loading an elephant with water-pots to hawking goods or painting pots for sale, such as are seen in a village fair.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

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Colors of Tradition: Exploring the Artistry Behind Madhubani Paintings

Madhubani painting is also known as Mithila art as it is practiced in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. It has specifically originated from the Madhubani district of the state of Bihar. Traditionally, the women of this region created these paintings and in recent years, it has become a widely practiced art and has now become renowned throughout the world. This art expresses the creativity and culture of the people of Mithila and is passed from one generation to another. In this way, the heritage of Madhubani art has been preserved for many decades. The subjects of these paintings are usually religion, love, and fertility. Sometimes, social events like festivals, weddings, and royal court are also depicted in the paintings. The most commonly painted designs and themes are the forms of Hindu Gods and Goddesses such as Ganesha, Shiva, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Krishna, and Ram. The characteristic features of Madhubani paintings are their vibrant colors and eye-catching geometrical patterns. The empty spaces are filled with traditional motifs such as floral and foliate patterns, animals, birds, geometrical structures, and other designs. The local artists create these paintings using a variety of items such as matchsticks, twigs, brushes, pens, or even their own fingers. The paints are usually made with natural dyes and pigments.
As simple as it may seem, the making process of the world-famous Madhubani paintings is certainly not easy and requires lots of hard labor.

Traditional Madhubani paintings are done either on cloth, handmade paper, or canvas. Select the medium of painting as per your choice. If you have chosen cloth, attach it to cardboard to make a solid base. The making of the painting begins with making a double-lined border. This is a very important step because the border is filled with various geographical shapes and patterns or other motifs. The average width of the border is 1.5 - 2 cm. Now that the border is created, you will be left with a blank middle space. This is the main workspace. Start drawing your choice of figure, designs, and shapes. These must be relevant to the Madhubani painting themes.

When the key design has been made, the empty spaces in between are filled with some designs.
Now is the time to color the painting using vivid shades and hues. Colors in Madhubani are sourced from nature; Indigo is used to produce blue, flower juice produces red, turmeric gives yellow, leaves produce green, cow dung mixed soot gives black, and rice powder gives white.

To paint these colors, the artist uses a bamboo stick and wraps cotton around it. This acts as a traditional brush.
The entire painting is now painted using this special brush with natural vibrant colors. · However, in modern times, the common brush is used and instead of natural colors, artists prefer to use acrylic paints.

Since the entire painting is made with natural materials and colors, it appears simple yet enriching. Originally, this art was created on mud walls or soil grounds but when it evolved over many years, the people of Madhubani started to make it on fabric and paper. Today, this art has become globalized and is receiving worldwide attention and appreciation.