Mask making and manuscript painting of Majuli, an island-district of Assam, have received Geographical Indication (GI) tags, an official statement said on Monday.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a post on X, said the recognition will protect the skills of the artists.
“Majuli’s Mukha Shilpa traces its origins to Srimanta Sankardev, who used arts as medium for Bhakti. My gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji for granting the GI tag to the region’s mask & manuscript paintings. This will protect the rich skills of our artists,” Sarma said.
NABARD’s Assam Regional Office, which has been facilitating the GI registration of unique products, said in a statement that the GI tags are a recognition to rich cultural tapestry of the state, with the two products representing its heritage.
“This marks a significant step in promotion of Majuli Mask and Majuli Manuscript Painting across the country and the globe, and NABARD will make all possible efforts to create a community of authorised users of these GI-tagged products,” said Nabin Kumar Roy, general manager and officer-in-charge, NABARD-Assam Regional Office.
It has already supported registration of eight unique products of the state last year, and is set to support at least 10 more in the current year, the statement added.
Mask making or ‘Mukha Shilpa’ of Majuli is an age-old art form in the island, dating back to the 16th century. It is one of the most famous traditional crafts still practiced in Majuli, the world’s largest inhabited river island.
‘Mukha Shilpa’ has been an integral part of the ‘Sattriya’ culture of Assam.
It has been mainly confined to the Satras, Vaishnavite monasteries or centres of learning, and individual craftsmen residing in the villages of Majuli, officials said.
Manuscript painting is practiced on the barks of Aquilaria malaccensis, locally known as ‘Sashi’ (agarwood tree).
A long-lasting indigenous impermeable ink and colours extracted from natural ingredients are used to paint on the bark, they said.
The art form patronised by Ahom kings illustrate numerous stories and chapters from the Hindu epics Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana.
Both the art forms grew in medieval Assam under the guidance of Neo-Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardev, the officials said.
