Warli and Shekhawati Painting
Date of Issue : 20 June 2012
India Post issued a set of 2 stamps and a Sheetlet on 20th June 2012 featuring Shekhawati and Warli Paintings.Shikhawati painings are specific Rajasthani art where as Worli Paintings are from Maharashtra.
The Warlis or Varlis are an indigenous tribe or Adivasis, living in Mountainous as well as coastal areas of Maharashtra-Gujarat border and surrounding areas.They have their own animistic beliefs,life,customs and traditions,as a result of acculturation they have adopted many Hindu beliefs. The Warlis speak an unwritten Varli language which belong to the southern zone of the Indo-Aryan languages.
Warli folk paintings are the painting of Maharashtra. Warli is the name of the largest tribe found on the northern outskirts of Mumbai, in Western India. The word “ Warli” comes from “warla” which means a piece of land or a field Despite being in such close proximity of the largest metropolis in India, Warli tribesmen are still not urban. Warli Art was first discovered in the early seventies. While there are no records of the exact origins of this art, its roots may be traced to as early as the 10th century AD. Warli is the vivid expression of daily and social events of the Warli tribe of Maharashtra, used by them to decorate the walls of village houses. This was the only means of transmitting folklore to a others who are not acquainted with the written word.
Shekhawati painting originate from Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, known as the open-air art gallery of Rajasthan .It is popular in the districts of Jhunjhunu, Chiru, and Sikar. They were hugely popular during their era, such was the demand that the skilled artists couldn't paint fast enough. Even masons tried their hands at the paintings giving them a wonderful naivete and humorous touch. The subject matters of these paintings vary tremendously, from mythological stories and epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata to the local legends of battles and hunts, nearly all of which has been painted over.
