Bhagalpur : Manjusha art

Manjushas are temple-shaped boxes, made of bamboo,jute straw and paper. According to legend, Manjusha art traces its origin to the Bihula-Vishahri or Mansha folktale,popular in erstwhile Anga Pradesh and found also in an altered form in West Bengal. The paintings are drawn primarily on the occasion of the Bishari puja, celebrated usually in August to propitiate the snake gods. As Bihula’s boat was decorated by a character called Lahsan Mali, this art has been confined to the Mali or gardener caste. LikeMadhubanis, Manjushas too are pictorial reflections of folklore, poetry and the larger cultural consciousness of the region.

Manjushas are considered by many as modern art, due to their form and abstract themes. This is why the art-lover whodiscovered them for the outside world, W.G. Archer,an ics officer who worked in different parts of Bihar between ‘31 and ‘48,compared them to the works of Picasso and Jackson Pollock. Archer, in fact, took some of these paintings to the India OfficeLibrary in London as part of the Archer Collection.

The Manjusha or the border lining the work is often criticised as merely the "ceremonial" part of the painting, but it’s what sets them apart. A temple-shaped structure with eight pillars, it often has swirling snakes depicting the central character Bihula’s tale of love and sacrifice.

Manjushas, thus, have often been referred to as ‘snake paintings’ by Westerners, including Archer. Other motifs figuring prominently in these paintings are drawn from nature, be it the sun, the moon, fishes, sandal or bamboo, each with its own significance in the folklore. Unlike Madhubani, Manjushas are painted only in three colours -red, yellow and green - on a black background. According to legend, Manjusha art traces its origin to the Bihula- Vishahri or Mansha folktale, popular in erstwhile Anga Pradesh and found also in an altered form in West Bengal.The paintings are drawn primarily on the occasion of the Bishari puja, celebrated usually in August to propitiate the snake gods. As Bihula’s boat was decorated by a character called Lahsan Mali, this art has been confined to the Mali or gardener caste.