Maharashtra
is home to a large number of tribes, most of which are found residing
around the Deccan region. Apart from their distinct culture and
lifestyle, the tribal people of the state are also known for making a
number of handicrafts. Amongst the popular folk crafts of the tribes are
the Warli paintings. They are made by the tribal group of Warli,
residing in the Thane district - situated in the northern outskirts of
Mumbai.These are basically folk paintings that are drawn by the tribals on the walls. The paintings are mainly drawn on the mud walls of the house and have been said to date back to somewhere around 10th century AD. However, Warli paintings were discovered by the experts only in the early seventies. Many experts have compared the Warli paintings with the paintings belonging to the renowned Madhubani school of Bihar.
Drawing of paintings is a part of the culture of the Warli tribals. They are usually painted by the womenfolk of the tribe, on special occasions like marriage. Rice paste and straw are the main materials used for making Warli paintings. After the paintings are complete, they are smeared on the walls of the huts. However, with time, the paintings have evolved and now, they are done on paper also. You can find Warli paintings in a number of places in India.
Many Warli paintings revolve around religious themes. Apart from that, they also depict the normal life, like images of human beings and animals. Hunting, dancing, sowing and harvesting scenes are some other incidents that make up the themes of Warli paintings. For the paintings, an austere brown surface is used as the base. White color is used to paint and occasionally, one can see the use of dots in red and yellow.
