Sohrai Murals
2022 MAR 11
Preliminary >
Art and Culture > Painting > Tribal paintings
Why in news?
- Santhali communities of Odisha and Jharkhand are changing their ways of painting traditional Sohrai murals to modernity.
What are Sohrai Murals?
- Sohrai Mural is an indigenous art form is practiced by the women of Santhal Community.
- Ritualistic art is done on mud walls to welcome the harvest and to celebrate the cattle.
- The women clean their houses and decorate their walls with murals of Sohrai arts.
- This art form has continued since 10,000-4,000 BC. It was prevalent mostly in caves, but shifted to houses with mud walls.
Features of this art
- This Sohrai art form can be monochromatic or colorful.
- The people coat the wall with a layer of white mud, and while the layer is still wet, they draw with their fingertips on it.
- Their designs range from flowers and fruits to various other nature-inspired designs.
- The cow dung that was earlier used to cake the walls of the house is used to add colour.
- The dark outline is visible due to the previously applied contrasting white mud coat.
- The artists are spontaneous in their drawing. The designs are usually drawn from the artist’s memory.
- The personal experience of the artist and their interaction with nature are the biggest influence.
Add ons:
- Sohrai is a harvest festival of the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal.
- It also called cattle festival and is coincide with festival of Diwali.
PRACTICE QUESTION:
Consider the following statements regarding ‘Sohrai Mural’:
1. It is an indigenous art form is practiced by the women of Santhal Community
2. It is done on mud walls to welcome the harvest
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer