Mandana designs, once a popular folk art that adorned the earthen walls of homes in rural Rajasthan, are quickly disappearing. Reason: Rapid urbanization with the construction of concrete houses. Mandana designs are mainly drawn on clay walls with white lime liquid called “Khadiya” by rural women on auspicious occasions like Diwali, Holi, birth and wedding ceremonies.
The design includes pointed stars, a flower with six petals, a lotus and a swastika. Sita Devi Sharma (85) says that the folk art once used to decorate walls and doors disappeared as people started building concrete houses in her Talwas village, about 30 km from Bundi.
Moolchand Sharma, son of Sita Devi and member of village development committee, says that now not a single Mandana painting has been made on the walls of the house in the village as the local people have built concrete houses and buy wallpaper and wall paintings for decoration .
Another Mandana artist, Bhagwati Saxena of Bundi also expressed her dismay at the disappearance of the age-old art. Fortunately, the art is still alive in remote rural areas where concrete houses are not being built, she adds.
However, there are some female artists who are trying to preserve the art for generations to come. Koshaliya Devi Sharma (81) of Baran city has painted over 140 Mandana designs on wooden boards, of which 100 are preserved by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in its Central Library.
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Kosalia Devi also sang folk songs associated with various Mandana designs and these were recorded by INTACH for its collection. In addition, she has also established the Rajasthan School of Mandana Art, where at least 26 women are currently being trained under the supervision of Koshaliya Devi.
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