SSC · Railway
Warli painting is a tribal folk art of which state?
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Answer: Option B — Maharashtra
Detailed Solution
Warli painting is a tribal art form of the Warli (Varli) tribe, who live mainly in the Palghar and Thane districts of Maharashtra, in the Sahyadri foothills north of Mumbai, and in nearby parts of Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The art is believed to have very ancient roots, possibly linked to prehistoric rock paintings such as those at Bhimbetka.
Features of Warli painting:
- It is traditionally painted by women on the mud walls of their huts, using a red-ochre or brown background made from mud, cow dung and geru (red earth).
- The paintings are done in white, using a paste of rice flour and water, applied with a bamboo stick chewed at the end to make a brush.
It uses very simple geometric shapes: circles (representing the Sun and Moon), triangles (mountains and trees) and squares (sacred enclosures or pieces of land). Human and animal figures are drawn as two triangles joined at the tip, with circles for heads.
The paintings show scenes from daily life, such as farming, hunting, fishing, dancing, festivals, marriages and trees and animals. A common motif is the "Tarpa dance", in which people dance in a spiral around a musician playing the tarpa, a wind instrument made of dried gourd.
The "chowk" (a square at the centre) often depicts Palaghata, the goddess of fertility, painted especially during weddings.
Warli art was brought to wider attention in the 1970s, especially through the work of the artist Jivya Soma Mashe, who began painting Warli art on paper and canvas. He received the Padma Shri in 2011. Warli painting received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2014. Today, Warli designs are used on paper, cloth, pottery and home decor.
Interestingly, the Warli tribe also took part in a revolt against landlords and moneylenders in 1945-46, led by Godavari Parulekar of the Kisan Sabha.
Other tribal paintings of India:
- Gond painting: Madhya Pradesh (Jangarh Singh Shyam).
- Saura painting: Odisha.
- Pithora painting: Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh (Rathwa and Bhil tribes).
- Bhil painting: Madhya Pradesh (Bhuri Bai).
- Sohrai and Khovar painting: Jharkhand.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Gujarat is known for Pithora paintings.
- ✗Madhya Pradesh is known for Gond and Bhil paintings.
- ✗Chhattisgarh is known for Gond art and Dhokra metal craft.
Quick tip
Remember: Warli = Maharashtra (Palghar/Thane), white rice paste on mud walls, geometric shapes, Tarpa dance, Jivya Soma Mashe, GI tag 2014; Gond = MP; Pithora = Gujarat; Saura = Odisha; Sohrai = Jharkhand.
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Paintings, Crafts, Dress & Tribes — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Paintings, Crafts, Dress & Tribes, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's traditional painting styles (such as Madhubani, Warli, Pattachitra, Kalamkari, Gond and Tanjore), handicrafts and textiles, traditional dresses, and the major tribes of each state and their customs. It also includes Geographical Indication (GI) tags given to crafts and products. Questions usually ask which state a painting or craft belongs to, which tribe lives in a region, or what a traditional dress is called. Warli belongs to Maharashtra, Madhubani to Bihar, Pattachitra to Odisha and West Bengal, and Gond art to Madhya Pradesh. Grouping tribes by state, and noting the largest tribe of key states (such as the Bhils and the Santhals), helps with elimination. Practise the paintings, crafts and tribes questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.