Themes
Madhubani paintings reflect aesthetic tastes, religious leanings, love for natural
phenomenon, affection for the feminine beauty, divinity, and also the panoramic
view of the day to day life of the people. The themes and motifs of Madhubani are
rooted in Hindu mythology & epics, religious rituals and local flora and fauna.
Nature motifs like lotus, fish, turtles, snakes and other elements of aquatic life
are loaded with symbolic meanings. As for example, the turtle is a symbol of Vishnu,
the lotus and bamboo signify feminine and masculine sexuality respectively, fish
is a symbol of love, fertility & procreation. Sun, fish, elephant are all commonly
depicted in a marriage painting following the saying that just as the sun gives
light, a marriage must bring light to the family; just as a fish and elephant get
big in size so should the marriage result in a larger family with greater prosperity.
Pastoral scenes are also favoured. The Brahmin and Kayastha paintings have themes
from mainstream Hinduism including the Saiva, Vaishnav and Shakti cults. The Dushadhs
paint the stories of Raja Sailesh, the hero of their epic, Mahagatha; the struggles
between the subaltern deities and those of the dominant castes. The elephant, which
is the mount of Raja Sailesh, is a common motif. Other mostly painted themes are
as follows: