About Sohrai Art Form:

• A Sohrai mural is an indigenous art form practised by tribal women of Santhal community in the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand.
• The paintings are done on mud walls to welcome the harvest and to celebrate the cattle.
• The women clean their houses and decorate their walls with murals of Sohrai arts.
• This art form has continued since 10,000-4,000 BC. It was prevalent mostly in caves, but shifted to houses with mud walls.

Note: Sohrai Khovar painting received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2020.

Key Features of Sohrai Art Form

• The Sohrai murals can be monochromatic or colorful. The colours used in this picture (red, black, yellow, and white) are natural earth colours. Chewing twigs are used as paint brushes, while cloth rags are used to apply the base coat.
• Popular Sohrai motifs are animals, birds, lizards, elephants and Pashupati (the creator of all animals), who is usually riding on the back of an animal.
• The artists are spontaneous in their drawings. The designs are usually drawn from the artist’s memory. The personal experience of the artist and their interaction with nature are the biggest influence.

Source: Paintings, festivals and dance forms of India