Bihar is not only the holy land where Lord Buddha had attained the enlightenment, but it's also a place where different kinds of arts flourish. The crafts have never veered from their user-friendly motto. The hands behind each craft are tinted with an understanding that their work is no idle pleasure, either for them or their clientele.

The emerald paddy fields and cluster of village homes, ringed around the somber waters of the village pond, are not the highlights of a watercolor. Within the courtyards of these dwellings, the women 'layer' material for Soojini Embroidery work, underwriting the many motifs and moods that dictate the arts and crafts of Bihar.

Madhubani Paintings

Few people have heard of the art of Madhubani Painting practiced in the region of Mithila. For centuries, the villagers had decorated the mud-plastered walls of their homes with the vivacious style of the Madhubani. Whenever a festival was in the offing or when the family gathered to celebrate the wedding of a younger member, the women of the clan undertook the task of decorating their homes. A fresh coating of cow dung plastering was applied on the walls and flooring of the house. When the ochre surface took on a silken smoothness, it was made the background of a fascinating array of wall paintings.

Sujini and Khatwa Embroidery

A traditional quilt sujini is made with layers of clothes mainly in the rural areas. Old clothes are used for the inner stuffing and cotton or colorful threads are used for the embroidery. The embroidery is done in running stitch in a scale pattern. The sujini depicts village and religious scenes such as bride in palanquin, peacocks dancing, boy flying kite, etc. Khatwa is the applique work of Bihar used to craft decorative tents, canopies, shamianas, etc. The applique designs for tents are Persian type trees, flowers, animals, birds, etc. For canopies the whole design with circular central motif is cut out of a single cloth.

Bangle Making

In Muzaffarpur, the principal city in this domain, bangle making is a cottage industry, in the truest sense, for every household is a manufacturing unit of these lac turnery beauties. The adjoining forests of the state provide the basic raw material for bangle making. With the help of simple domestic fire, and vivid imagination, the craftsman breathes life into roundels of lozenge pink, flaming orange, brilliant vermilion, regal purple or even dignified ochre circles, to ornament the wrists of a bride. In fact, there is a special ritual of bangle wearing, where the bride-to-be is made to wear turmeric colored bangles that are suitably embellished with pieces of glinting mirrors, brilliant tinsel and painted stripes. The other women of the household too keep a large variety of bangles to suit every outfit they plan to wear for the occasion.

Lacquerware

In Bihar lac has been used for making beautiful items like boxes and bangles etc since ages. Sindurdan the vermilion container given in marriage is one of such decorative piece made by laheris community. The boxes are beautifully decorated with the motifs of fish, chakra and peacock. Traditionally the bride's parents present her a round conical box, with a nose ring at the marriage with the symbols of fertility and longevity engraved on its red body.

Stone Work

Bihar was the land of the Buddha's nirvana, a land where he received the divine inspiration to propagate Buddhist path of Middle Living. The stone images of Gaya regenerate Lord Buddha's messages. The pearly luster of the gray-green stone provides an interesting patterning on the image surface. The alternative black variety, quarried from the adjoining hills, is ideal for tableware. Stem handled drinking glasses, smoothly turned out coasters and large platters customarily used to serve offerings to deities at temples, keep the Gaya stone masons constantly innovating and creating.

In recent times they have veered from the traditional Buddha figurine to that of the elephant god Ganesha.

Printed Textiles

Bihar has made its name in textile printing which is done on cotton, wool and silk.Some districts and towns for example Bhagalpur, Bihar Sharif, Darbhanga, Saran and Patna are well known for this craft. In Gaya, it is common to find the religious textiles with the names or footprints of deities printed all over in ochre or red. The chunris of Bihar deserve special mention. Beautiful designs are printed in these chunris which are traditional as well as floral and animal forms. At Sursand in North Bihar only mica (khari) printing is done with bright colours are used extensively.