Sohrai - Khovar Painting is a ritualistic tribal painting with distinct features, traditionally being practiced mainly in mural art form in the region of Hazaribagh district (State of Jharkhand). Sohrai-Khovar painting is a profusion of lines, dots, animal figures and plants, often representing religious iconography.
Sohrai-Khovar Painting has traditionally been painted on mud house walls. It is also being made on other canvases too including paper and cloths, with same distinctive traditional features being practiced by women of different local tribes, and some other communities.
“Sohrai” is a local festival whereas “Khovar” is a nuptial chamber designed and decorated to bless the newly married couple. In local traditional practice during Sohrai festival and in Khovars – made in local marriages, ritualistic mural paintings are being made on the walls, such paintings are distinct in nature and due to events in which it is being practiced it is being referred as Sohrai-Khovar painting.
Sohrai is a Festival in which such paintings are being made to keep evil spirits away (local ritualistic believe) whereas Khovar is nuptial chamber which is designed and decorated by such paintings to bless the newly married couple. Both Sohrai and Khovar however are not singular traditions but in broad terms it encompasses a range of same mural practices and designs characterised in such paintings of this region.
These drawings are made in both monochromatic and coloured pattern. In case of coloured murals, only colours which are naturally available in soil are being used. Such colours primarily may be identified – Red, White, Yellow, Black and Cream colour.
The soil used for white colour is plain kaolin (Chuna khaan in local dialect); yellow is a natural earth ochre (nagri) ; the black is a kind of manganese earth; the red is the natural red earth colour (gerua) or ground haematite stone for deepish purple red colour.
Geometric symbols, drawings of local flora and fauna, symbolic designs or patterns like Pashupati (lord of animals) Purainpat (forest of lotuses) are normal patterns used in these drawings. Depiction of drawings are normally borderless and the drawings are mostly non-narrative.
Such ritual practice of painting making is traditionally being practiced only by local tribal women and is a matriarchal practice in which tradition of such art passes from mother to the daughter. The local population of Hazaribagh in which the practice of such paintings are more prevalent may be identified as: Santal, Oraon, Munda, Agaria, Kurmi, Ghatwals and Ganju, Prajapati.
Walls of many important public places of Jharkhand such as Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Tatanagar Railway Station including walls of many other important public places and buildings have been decorated by Sohrai-Khovar painting in recent years.
GI Tag Registration Date : 14 September 2021
GI Tag Number : 658
Certificate Number : 370
Geographical Area : Jharkhand
Special Cover Release Date : 17 September 2021
Cancellation : Ranchi 834 008
Type : GI Tag Cover
Cover Identification Number : JH03/21
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Enlarged View of Cancellation
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