Baiga Art

Sessions:  2
Hrs per Session:  2

Baiga art, named after the Baiga tribe of Central India, is an indigenous art form predominantly found in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It reflects the tribe’s deep spiritual connection to nature and ancestral traditions.

Primarily created by women on the mud walls of their homes, this sacred visual language expresses cultural identity, animist beliefs, and the tribe’s symbiotic relationship with nature.

Rooted in animism, Baiga paintings are often created during important life events, religious ceremonies, and rituals like weddings, childbirth, or harvest to appease spirits and seek blessings. The art is highly symbolic, featuring central motifs such as the Tree of Life representing growth and fertility, the Sun and Moon for cosmic cycles, and animals like snakes, tigers, and birds as guardian spirits. Human figures depict rituals, while geometric symbols offer protection and invoke deities.

Traditionally, the art is created freehand using brushes made from date palm fibers and natural pigments derived from rice paste, red ochre, white clay, charcoal, and leaves. The style is geometric and stylized, characterized by rhythmic repetition, symmetry, and symbolic abstraction, moving beyond realistic portrayal to an intuitive and spiritual expression.

In recent years, Baiga art has gained wider visibility, with artists transferring traditional motifs onto canvas and textiles, making this rich cultural heritage accessible to global audiences while preserving its spiritual essence.