Sohrai Murals

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Santhali communities of Odisha and Jharkhand are changing their ways of painting Sohrai murals.

Image Courtesy :DTE

About Sohrai Murals

It is an art in which santhali women usually paint the walls of their houses to mark Sohrai, a harvest festival coinciding with Diwali or Kali Puja.
The art also adorns walls during ceremonies or special occasions, such as weddings and childbirth.
Santhali Sohrai murals vary across regions, prominently featuring geometric shapes.
- Apart from the Santhals, the Bhumij community in the district also paints them.
The prominence given to geometry in the murals can be linked with the Santhal community’s affinity for symmetrical precision in its architecture
- Such murals are part of a long tradition of the Santhal community that dominates Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts of Odisha; East Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts of Jharkhand; and Purulia district of West Bengal.

In 2020, Jharkhand received a Geographical Indication tag for its Sohrai art particularly for the murals painted by women in Hazaribagh district who do not belong to the Santhal tribe.

However, these are quite different from the murals created by the Santhal tribe,
The murals of Hazaribagh are more primordial with different motifs, whereas the Santhali Sohrai art features only geometric shapes.

Sohrai

Sohrai is known for the care of domestic animals such as cows and buffaloes.
- Since these animals are significant in an agricultural society, taking proper care and welfare of them form an important ritual of Sohrai.
It is celebrated immediately after diwali, on the new moon day.
In the evening, earthen lamps are lit. The next day the cattle are washed, vermilion mixed with oil is put on the cattle and they are garlanded.
The festivities include such games as bull fights.

Source:DTE

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