Madhubani Painting for Kids: History, Motifs and an Easy First Project

Madhubani painting is one of the most recognisable art forms of India. Its bright colours, bold black outlines, fish, peacocks, lotuses and patterned borders filled with tiny details are instantly beautiful, and children love them. It is also a tradition with a remarkable story, kept alive for centuries by the women of one region of India.

Where Madhubani comes from

Madhubani painting, also called Mithila painting, comes from the Mithila region, which spans northern Bihar in India and part of southern Nepal. Madhubani is the name of a district in Bihar at the heart of the tradition. In the tradition, Mithila is also the kingdom of King Janaka, the father of Sita in the Ramayana, and many Madhubani paintings show scenes of Rama and Sita’s wedding.

For generations, women of Mithila painted the walls and floors of their homes for important occasions, especially weddings. One of the most important traditional paintings is the kohbar, painted in the room of a newly married couple, full of symbols of love, fertility and good fortune. The knowledge passed from mother to daughter, and the paintings were renewed for each new occasion.

How the world discovered it

For a long time, Madhubani painting was almost unknown outside the region. After a major earthquake struck Bihar in 1934, a British officer named William G. Archer, inspecting the damage, saw the paintings on the exposed inner walls of homes and photographed them, later writing about them. In the late 1960s, during a severe drought, efforts were made to encourage women to paint on paper so their work could be sold, providing much-needed income. That brought Madhubani to the wider world.

Since then, Madhubani artists have become celebrated across India and abroad. Artists such as Sita Devi, Ganga Devi, Mahasundari Devi and Baua Devi became famous, and several received national honours, including the Padma Shri. Madhubani painting has also received Geographical Indication status, recognising it as belonging to its region.

The famous motifs

Madhubani paintings use a rich vocabulary of symbols. The fish is one of the most common, traditionally associated with fertility and good fortune. The peacock is linked with love and beauty. The lotus represents purity. The sun and the moon often appear, with faces. Bamboo is associated with family and continuity. Trees of life, elephants, parrots and turtles appear often. Gods and goddesses, especially Krishna, Radha, Rama, Sita, Durga and Ganesha, and scenes from the epics, are favourite subjects.

The styles

Madhubani artists often describe several styles. Bharni, meaning filling, uses solid, bright colours to fill the shapes. Kachni, meaning line, uses fine lines and hatching, often in just one or two colours, usually black and red. Godna is inspired by traditional tattoo patterns, with repeated small motifs. Kohbar refers to the wedding paintings. Children can try any of them, but bharni and kachni are the easiest places to start.

What makes a painting look like Madhubani

A few features give Madhubani its unmistakable look. Double outlines: every shape is outlined twice, with a small gap between the two lines, which is then filled with fine lines or pattern. No empty space: every part of the painting is filled with patterns, flowers, leaves or lines. Borders: almost every painting has a decorative border, often of repeated triangles, waves, flowers or lines. Faces in profile with large eyes: people and animals are usually shown from the side, with one large, striking eye.

Traditional colours

Traditionally, Madhubani artists made their own colours from natural materials: black from soot, yellow from turmeric, red and orange from flowers and other plants, blue from indigo, green from leaves, and white from rice paste. They painted with twigs, matchsticks, bamboo pens and fingers. Children can use poster paints, felt pens or coloured pencils, along with a fine black pen for outlines.

In a Madhubani painting, nothing is left empty. Every space is filled with life, pattern and meaning, which is a lovely thing for a child to learn.

An easy first project: the Madhubani fish

Step 1: in pencil, draw a large oval for the fish body, a triangle tail at one end, and a small circle for the eye near the other end, with a curved line for the mouth.

Step 2: draw a second outline just inside the first, all the way around the body and tail, leaving a narrow gap between the two lines.

Step 3: fill that narrow gap with a pattern of short parallel lines, like the rungs of a ladder.

Step 4: divide the body into sections with curved lines across it. Fill each section with a different pattern: scales drawn as small curves, dots, zigzags, criss-cross lines or tiny circles.

Step 5: fill the tail with lines fanning out from where it joins the body.

Step 6: go over all the lines with a fine black pen. Then colour the shapes with bright colours: red, yellow, orange, green and blue, leaving the patterns visible.

Step 7: draw a border around the edge of the paper, two lines with a pattern of small triangles or waves between them. Then fill the empty space around the fish with small flowers, leaves or bubbles.

For younger children, draw the outline for them and let them fill the sections with patterns and colour. For older children, try two fish facing each other, a common traditional design, or move on to a peacock or a lotus.

Tips for young artists

Work slowly. Madhubani is about patience and detail. Encourage children to take their time with each section.

Plan the patterns. Before filling in, decide which pattern goes where, so that different patterns sit next to each other.

Use bright, contrasting colours, and always keep the black outlines strong.

Credit the source. When your child shares their painting, encourage them to say it is inspired by the Madhubani tradition of Mithila, and the women who kept it alive.

Learning more

Madhubani teaches patience, observation and pattern, and connects children to the stories of the Ramayana and to the women artists of Bihar. Our live arts and painting classes include Madhubani, Warli, Kalamkari and other Indian folk traditions, taught step by step. If you would like your child to learn with a mentor, enquire about our classes through the Book a Class page.