Legend has it that Mithila, named after King Mithi, was once ruled by King Janak. King Janak was the father of Hindu goddess Sita, wife of Lord Rama. This region in the northern part
of Bihar, known as Mithilanchal, is famous for its sacred and fertile soils, erudite scholars,
betel leaves, makhana, mangoes and sweet tongue of locals.
Local women are experts in drawing pictures of different deities and for ages, they have
been decorating doors, walls and courtyards of their houses for their religious ceremonies,
using natural vegetable dyes. There's no use of painting brush; their skilled finger tips do the
drawings instead.
Shantiniketan (West Bengal)'s famous Shilpa Gram, a hub of rural products of eastern
India, has a separate Bihar Hut where traditional art forms of Bihar like Madhubani Paintings
and Sikki, Sujuni and stone crafts have been put on display.
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