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Craft Name: Sohrai Painting

Region: Hazaribagh, Ranchi – Jharkhand

CRAFT
HISTORY

Sohrai is a traditional tribal wall-painting practice from the Hazaribagh and Ranchi regions of Jharkhand. It is painted during the Sohrai harvest festival, celebrated by women from tribal communities such as the Santhal, Munda, Oraon, and Prajapati. The art is rooted in agrarian life and is a thanksgiving ritual for cattle, fertility, good harvest, and prosperity. Sohrai paintings decorate the outer and inner walls of homes and are renewed annually, symbolizing rebirth and the cycle of seasons.

WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE:

  • Painted directly on mud walls using natural clay pigments
  • Strong animal motifs such as cows, bulls, deer, reflecting agrarian and tribal life
  • Created freehand without preliminary sketches
  • Ritualistic, temporary, and deeply symbolic
  • Passed down orally from women to younger generations

Received a
GI tag in 2023

COLOURS

  • Red, black, white, yellow
  • Soft, natural earthy tones from mineral pigments

MOTIFS

  • Cattle, cows, bulls (central to the harvest festival)
  • Deer, elephants, birds
  • Leaves, vines, and natural patterns
  • Sun, moon, and tribal symbols
  • Simple geometric lines, dots, zig-zags

RAW MATERIAL

  • Base: mud walls, clay-plastered surfaces
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  • Pigments: red ochre (gerua), white kaolin clay, black manganese, yellow clay
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  • Tools: twigs, fingers, broken combs, cloth pieces
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  • Water for blending natural pigments

CRAFT MAKING PROCESS

The-Art-of-Zardozi

HOW TO IDENTIFY GENUINE SOHRAI PAINTING

  • Painted with natural pigments on mud surfaces
  • Bold animal motifs inspired by rural and tribal life
  • Freehand, organic, asymmetrical compositions
  • Traditional works come from Hazaribagh and Ranchi villages
  • Earthy textures and visible clay strokes