Madhubani paintings or Mithila Paintings is a style of Indian folk painting, practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar state, India. The name of the art form is itself named on the village Madhubani. This art dates back to the 7th century. Legend says that The Madhubani painting or Mithila Painting are originated at the time of the Ramayana, when King Janak (Janakpur was the capital of Mithila), commissioned artists to do paintings at the time of marriage of his daughter, Sita, to Hindu god Lord Ram. Hence one finds paintings of Lord Ram and Sita in Madhubani form. Other popular themes are paintings of Gods and Goddesses like Ganesha, Shankara, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Durga. Also motifs of Birds, animals, the sun and moon are very popular. Generally no empty space is left. This space is normally filled up with images of flowers, birds, animals or any geometric form. Madhubani (Mithila) paintings are originally done by the women-folk. The striking features of Madhubani paintings are the bright colors. The colors used are flat with no shades. The figures mostly have the head in profile but the body is front facing. Generally a double line is drawn for outlines with gap in between, which is filled with straight or cross lines. The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud wall of huts, but now it is also done on cloth, hand-made paper and canvas using poster or acrylic colors. The most popular type of Madhubani paintings is the Bharni and Kachni style. The Bharni style is identified by the use of vibrant colors and minimal use of lines, while beautiful patterns through the intricate use of lines mark the Kachni style.
