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Sohrai and Khovar painting is a mural art traditionally practiced by women in the
Sohrai and Khovar painting is a mural art traditionally practiced by women in the Hazaribagh district
Hazaribagh district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India and the district headquarter located in Hazaribagh town. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.
Etymology
The district is named after its headquarters, the tow ...
of Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...
. Traditionally used to decorate the hut walls, it is also done on paper and cloth so that it may be sold to patrons.
Sohrai art is done at Sohrai
Sohrai is a harvest festival of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal. It also called cattle festival. It is celebrated after harvest and coincide with Govardhan Puja of Diwali festival. It is celebrated b ...
, or harvest festivals. It is done in colour. Khovar painting is done at weddings, in black and white.
History
The art form was popularized byBulu Imam
Bulu Imam (born 31 August 1942) is an environmental activist working for the protection of tribal culture and heritage in Jharkhand. On 12 June 2012, he received the Gandhi International Peace Award, 2011 at the House of Lords in London. He is ...
, who established the Sanskriti Museum & Art Gallery
Sanskriti Museum & Art Gallery, Hazaribagh was founded by Bulu Imam in 1991, after he discovered the first rockart of Hazaribagh district at Isco, subsequently bringing to light over dozen meso-chalcolithic rockarts, including the prehistoric ar ...
. In 2018, the Jharkhand government announced plans to adorn trains and government housing with Sohrai paintings. They received the Geographical Indication
A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...
tag in 2020.
Process
The walls are first coated with a mixture of soil and dung, and then painted.
References
Geographical indications in Jharkhand Murals in India Culture of Jharkhand Indian folk art {{painting-stub