Some facts about India

Some facts about India

• India is the 2nd most populated country in the world.1.  China 1,336,390,000--March 16, 2010-- 19.63% of world population2.  India1,178,310,000--March 16, 2010-- 17.31% of world population3.  United States 308,878,000--March 16, 2010-- 4.54% of world population

• India has benefited a lot from its agricultural activities. India is the largest producer of cashew nuts, coconuts, tea, ginger, milk, turmeric etc. India has almost a 10% share in the world fruit production and it ranks first in the production of banana

Other Interesting Facts

• The sari that is worn by Indian women is considered to be one of the most elegant and beautiful dresses in the world. A sari is a long piece of cloth that is wrapped by in different styles.

• India’s geography is varied. Right from the snowy mountains in the north to dense forests in the south and arid deserts in the west, India offers it all.

Religion

• Indian citizens are free to follow any religion and faith. Indians worship different Gods in many different ways.

• Religion, with its rituals and philosophy, forms the life style of any average individual born and brought up in India.

• The main religions of India are Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Judaism. Over 80% of Indians practice Hinduism, 13.45% of Indians practice Islam, 2.35% Christianity and 1.94% Sikhism. Popular faiths like Jainism and Buddhism which have originated in India are practiced all over the world today.

MADHUBANI ART

Bihar, India

Origins of MADHUBANI Art

• Tradition states that this style of painting originated at the time of the Ramayana, when King Janak commissioned artists to do paintings at the time of marriage of his daughter, Sita, to Lord Ram.

• Madhubani painting has been done traditionally by the women of villages around the present town of Madhubani (the literal meaning of which is forests of honey) and other areas of Mithila. The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud wall of huts, but now it is also done on cloth, hand-made paper and canvas.

Ramayana

• Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India, the other being the Mahabharata.[1] It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king.

• The name Ramayana is a tatpurusha compound of Rāma and ayana ("going, advancing"), translating to "Rama's Journey". The Ramayana consists of 24,000 verses in seven books (kāṇḍas) and 500 cantos (sargas),[2] and tells the story of Rama (an incarnation of the Hindu preserver-god Vishnu), whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. Thematically, the epic explores the tenets of human existence and the concept of dharma

Origins Cont.

• Madhubani paintings also use two dimensional imagery, and the colors used are derived from plants.

• Madhubani paintings mostly depict nature and Hindu religious motifs, and the themes generally revolve around Hindu deities like Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Natural objects like the sun, the moon, and religious plants like tulsi are also widely painted, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. Generally no space is left empty; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs.

• Madhubani paintings are characterized by the vibrant and bold use of colors and traditional geometric patterns that supports the main theme. Some of the main attributes of all the Madhubani paintings double line border, ornate floral patterns, abstract-like figures of deities and bulging eyes and a jolting nose of the faces of the figures.

• There are 3 styles of Madhubani painting

1.Brahmin Style

2. Tatoo Style

3.Kshatriya Style

• Black – By blending soot and cow dung • Yellow - From turmeric, pollen, lime, milk of

banyan leaves, • Blue -Indigo • Red - Kusam flower juice or red sandalwood • Green - wood apple tree leaves • White - Rice powder • Orange - Palasha flowers

Other images in Mudhubani Art(Signs of prosperity)

• Fish• Birds

(Peacocks/Parrots)• Elephants• Lions• Plant Life-(Trees and

Lotus flowers)• Turtles• The Sun and moon

Indian Deities

• Krishna

• Shiva

• Rama

• Durga

• Lakshmi

• Saraswati

Examples of Madhubani Art

Goddess Mahasaraswati

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