Patna Tikuli Lacquer Painting Patna Bihar

Tikuli art is a lacquer painting tradition from Patna, Bihar, which was historically applied on bindi tikuli (round lac discs worn as forehead decoration by women) and has now evolved into a decorative miniature painting art form on glass and lac-coated cardboard. The tradition uses brilliant mineral and natural oil pigments applied over a burnished lac base in a style influenced by Patna Kalam (Patna Company school of miniature painting) with delicate naturalistic bird, flower, village scene, and religious motif painting in precise fine-line technique. Tikuli painting was revived as a heritage art in the 1960s-70s through Bihar state craft support and now employs artisans producing decorative panels, boxes, earrings, and bindi pieces for retail and export. Patna's Chitrakars and painting community artisans from Kumhrar and Bankipur areas maintain the tradition. Tikuli art has state craft recognition and is a Bihar government craft development priority. The art is now applied on cotton fabric using the lac base technique for fashion accessories and contemporary decorative objects.