Bhitti Chitra – Wall Painting of Rajasthan

Bhitti Chitra is a  wall painting of Rajasthan depicting religious themes. These are carefully painted by Matherans, also known as Mahatma community, with great intricacy in their houses and temples. In some of the temples, along with the names of painters, the images of patrons and their families were also painted. These paintings at times incorporate the embossing techniques of Usta, thus including gold and silver. This is occasionally used to enhance the work. To create their piece of art, these artisans require basic set of brushes. Traditionally natural colors are used such as geru/red, jahri/black, neel/blue and safed/white. These colors are cooked with ‘tisi oil/ flax seed’ to make it permanent and water proof.

The 200 year old painting adoring in Madan Mohan mandir in Rajasthan is a great example that reveals the aesthetic sensibility of this community. Today the Matherans known for their skill in painting Gangaur idols, reside in Jodhpur, Mewar and Godvard (in Pali district) of Rajasthan.