Sitamarhi Madhubani Women Art Cooperative Bihar

Sitamarhi district in Bihar borders Nepal and is within the Mithila cultural zone where Madhubani painting is practised by women of the Kayastha, Brahmin, and Dusadh communities. Sitamarhi women paint on handmade paper and cloth using bamboo twig brushes and natural pigments from turmeric, indigo, and charcoal. Motifs include Kohbar bridal chamber designs, fish, lotus, the cosmic tree, and deities. Women cooperative societies in Pupri and Riga blocks organise collective training, paper supply, and buyer trips to Patna and Delhi craft fairs. Dusadh community women paint Ghodar — village boundary protection motifs — on kali paper. Cooperative self-help groups under JEEViKA have provided microfinance to Sitamarhi Madhubani artists for colour and material procurement.