Madhubani

Madhubani is a historic town of the Mithila region in north Bihar, best known worldwide as the heartland of Madhubani (Mithila) painting. The town and its surrounding villages grew as market and administrative centres on the fertile Gangetic plains close to the Nepal border, where culture, language (Maithili), and ritual traditions of Mithila shaped everyday life. In administrative history, the area was earlier the northern subdivision of old Darbhanga district; during Bihar’s reorganisation, Madhubani district was carved out in 1972, with Madhubani town becoming the district headquarters and a key hub for governance and services.

Culturally, Madhubani’s identity is inseparable from its folk art tradition. Madhubani art originated and flourished in this district, traditionally painted by women on freshly plastered mud walls and floors, and later adapted to paper and canvas—especially from villages around Madhubani—making the region an active production centre and export hub for the paintings. This art is often connected with the sacred geography of Mithila and local religious storytelling; many works depict themes from the Ramayana and ritual life, and painted temple/community spaces in the area keep the tradition publicly visible.

Today, Madhubani remains a prominent Mithila town—administratively important since 1972 and culturally iconic through the living heritage of Madhubani painting.