Bihar Art & Culture


Indian Art & Culture is mainly famous for its creativity. Bihar Art & Culture has an important place in Art & Culture of India. Art & Crafts is an important ramification of any Art & Culture. Madhubani Painting is famous across the globe for its finest creativity so as Folk Dance. Dance & Music has always been a centre of attraction for the tourists visit Bihar. Bihar Folk Dance is one of the greatest extensions of Bihar Dance & Music and is worth watching.


Art & Crafts


Madhubani painting

The Madhubani paintings have got accreditation by the true art lovers across the globe. This is created by the village women of Mithila with vegetable dyes on the walls. After being encouraged by an artist these ladies started making their paintings on paper. The paintings normally contain village scenes, human and animal forms, god and goddess.

Bihar is also famous for stone pottery, white metal statuettes, bamboo artifacts, wooden toys and leather goods. Infact, Bihar export leather footwear in large quantities.

Wood inlay is another ancient craft quite famous here, and specific to Patna city.

Manyvillages around Vaishali make wonderful homemade toys. Sikki Work is done by weaving the humble blade of grass into beautiful baskets and mats. The famous Lac bangles are also prepared in Muzaffarpur city of Bihar.


Dance & Music


Folk Dance and Music

Jhijhian Dance

This dance is very famous and performed by village women. In times of drought when the lands cracks and becomes parched this is done to pray Lord Indra for rain,. The sky seems lifeless without clouds and the people await a downpour. The village women dance and sing to please Lord Indra, the Lord of Rain. Lord Indra responds back to their worship by heavy rain falls. The words of the song which the village women sung are "Haali-Huli Barshun Inder Deveta".

Jat-Jatin Dance

This is also very popular Folk Dance of Mithila and Koshi region of North Bihar. In this dance form tells the story of the man going out of the village to earn and gets estranged from his wife for a period of time. After his return the wife performs this dance. This reflects sweet and tender quarrel as well as some complaints betweenhusband and wife. This dance also reflects poverty and sorrow. The folk dance gives the message as to how one should overcome the hurdles of life smilingly.

Kajari Dance

The rainy season is welcomed by this dance and song. Kajari dance is the popular dance of the rainy season. The women of the village start dancing like a peacock on a beautiful song.

Sohar-Khilouna Dance

The birth of child is celebrated all over India with different traditional rituals. This dance of Bihar is associated with the child birth and the ladies sing Sohar, own unique pronunciation, on the occasion of child birth ceremony. The ladies compare the child with god like Lord Rama and sometime with Lord Krishna. The ladies bless the child by singing, acting and dancing on the words of Sohar.

Holi Dance

Holi is a festival of color and celebrated across India. Chaitra month's first day is celebrated as Holi. People of Bihar sing a typical style "Dhamar" on Holi. They dance in groups with full energy and excitement on musical instruments like dholak, jhal-manjeera etc.

Jhumeri Dance

This Dance is similar to "Garva of Gujrat". This folk dance of Mithilanchal performed by the married women in the month of Kartik when the sky is clear and full moon spreads its rays all over. The women in love dance sing and celebrate the turn of the season.

Harvesting Dance

Bihar being an agriculture State of India has an important place for harvesting. During this season, male and female villagers do their work with dance and song in the field. Their delight and happiness is the symbol of good crop.


Folk Music and Songs


Bihar has a very old tradition of beautiful folk music and songs. There are many of these played and sung during important family occasions such as birth ceremonies, marriage, festivals etc. The folk songs are sung mainly in group using Dholak, and sometimes Tabla and Harmonium as well.

Folk songs of Bihar are based on the various events takes place in a person's life.
Sohar is performed at the birth of the child
Sumangali is associated with wedding
Ropnigeet is performed during the season of sowing paddy
katnigeet is performed during the paddy harvesting season
Some of the other folk songs are purbi, chaita, hori, bidesia, ghato, birha, kajari, irni/ birni, pachra, jhumar, jatsari, aalah, nirgun, and samdaun.