The “Dasavatara” meaning ‘the ten incarnations’ of hindu deity Lord Vishnu is depicted by Baua Devi in a Madhubani style painting referencing a place from which it gained recognition in the region of Mithila in North Bihar. Baua Devi who is a Padma Shri awardee and one of the most notable figures introduced Madhubani art from the traditional mud walls of rural Bihar onto handmade paper and canvas.This artwork effectively showcases the essential features of the Bharni style of Madhubani painting.
Upon giving a closer glance to the artwork, we are able to identify each individual manifestation of the divine, each depicted in her own artistic style: Top Row (from left to right) The fish is represented by Matsya, the tortoise by Kurma, the boar by Varaha, the half-man, half-lion form by Narasimha, and the axe-wielding warrior by Parashurama. Bottom Row (from left to right): Krishna, the holy cowherd, Ram, the prince of Ayodhya, Balaram frequently pictured with a plow or as Krishna's brother; Buddha, the enlightened one and Kalki the last avatar usually displayed with a horse.
Madhubani means "forests of honey." Both Indian and foreign art aficionados have taken an interest in the painting style which has historic roots. The artwork has blended traditional and modern themes been adapted to clothing, upholstery & dinnerware and been sold as artwork for contemporary houses and interiors. The various sources from which the colours are sourced for use have also been mentioned. Painting has traditionally been done on the wall or the floor in Mithila. Another name for the wall murals is bhitti-shobha. It is known as urehana in southern Bihar (now Jharkhand). The painting's symbols are similar to those on ceramics discovered at Harappa, a significant Indus Valley civilization site.
According to legend, the women in King Janaka's household painted on the walls. When Lakhsman traveled to the wilderness with his brother Lord Ram and Sita devi during his banishment, Urmila his wife, created an image of him on a wall and worshipped it. This is taken from the Ramayan an Indian epic. Deep red, green, blue, black, pale yellow and pink are just a few of the colour settings seen in Madhubani paintings. In several artworks, red predominates. Outlines are drawn with a bamboo twig. A tiny piece of fabric wrapped to a twig is used to fill colour pihua. The painting is created by a group of women. Others add the colour as a leader and among them sketches the composition. The older women are helped by younger females. The idioms stay the same but the styles are reproduced with different modifications. Some people add colour, while others draw the composition. The majority of Mithila dwellings wall paintings are done in three different locations. The Kohabara ghara, the room for newlyweds and the verandah outside the kohabara are the Ghosain-ba-ghara, the room of the family deity and the Kohabara ghara ka koniyan. The majority of the paintings in the Kohabara chamber depict myths and legends using the red mineral pigment gairika.
When an artist from Mumbai, visited Baua Devi's village of Jitwarpur in the 1960s she was just a teenager. Encouraged by him, the community's women and girls learnt how to translate their artistic expression from the walls to paper. Baua belonged to a trailblazing group of Madhubani painters who would bring about that change. She infuses her canvases with a sense of urgency and vitality through topical themes and contemporary elements (see the red hearts in the painting above). However, the colours are still mostly created by hand, giving her paintings an earthy, organic quality.
Observing the double-lined borders that are filled with intricate geometric patterns or parallel lines. Tradition dictates that every square inch of the background is meticulously filled with natural components including flowers, leaves and intricate patterns, leaving virtually no empty space. The characters are identified by their large fish-like eyes and sharp, elongated noses depicted in profile. By maintaining traditional, organic mediums while carefully incorporating new accents, pioneers like Baua Devi ensure that this communal, woman-led art form remains a living, breathing monument to India's rich cultural past. This allows a long-standing, revered custom to adapt to the modern world without losing its essence. Madhubani art has prospered from its mythical origins in the Ramayana and the mud walls of Mithila to modern canvases found all over the world because of its vibrant geometry, symbolic nature motifs, and total rejection of empty space.
Baua Devi's Dasavathar presents the ten incarnations of Vishnu in the traditional Madhubani style. The painting is filled with bright colours, detailed patterns, and strong outlines, leaving almost no empty space. Each avatar is represented with clear symbolic features that allow viewers to identify them easily. The work reflects the importance of mythology and religious storytelling in Mithila culture. Rather than creating realistic figures, Baua Devi emphasizes decoration, symbolism, and narrative, demonstrating how folk art can preserve and communicate cultural traditions across generations.
