An exhibition entitled ‘Raghunath Gatha’ underway at Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum is attracting visitors and art lovers in large numbers. Dedicated to great poet and saint Tulsidas, the exhibition portrays the Ramkatha in various folk art forms of India.
This exhibition features the different phases of Ramkatha in various folk art forms of India, like Madhubani painting of Bihar, Patt folk of Odisha, Patua art of West Bengal, Kalamkari folk painting of Andhra Pradesh and Chitrakathi folk art of Maharashtra. The Ramayana is poetry, a story, music, painting, craft and drama. Its multidimensional aspects highlight its uniqueness as a pulsating form of art.
The tradition of painting Ramkatha developed as an impressive genre of folk art in Bihar, Odisha, Bengal, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The Indian epic Ramayana is one of the greatest creations in the art and tradition of narrative poetry. After Valmiki, perhaps Saint Tulsidas developed the narrative into dramatic form and thus creating a stage for the dramatic enactment of acts of deities.
The exhibition comprise about 20 paintings based on epic story of the life of Rama which includes Rama vanvaas in Chitra kathi art form of Maharashtra, Sita Vivaah in Madhubani art form of Bihar, shortest of Hanuman in Kalamkari folk painting of Andhra Pradesh, Rama- Ravan battle in Patt folk art of Odisha. This exhibition was inaugurated by the chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan on July 29, 2013. The exhibition is open from 12 noon to 8 pm for visitors. Monday Closed and entry is free in the exhibition.