Mandana

Mandana is a traditional wall-and-floor art form practised by the Meena community of the Hadoti region in Rajasthan, and also found in Madhya Pradesh, the name deriving from "Mandan," meaning ornamentation or decoration. Known for its bold white-on-red geometric and figurative motifs — Ganesha, peacocks, women at work, tigers, and floral patterns — the art is drawn to protect the home, welcome deities inside, and mark festive and auspicious occasions such as weddings and religious fasts. The ground is prepared with cow dung mixed with a local clay called rati and red ochre, with the motifs then drawn in lime or chalk powder using a piece of cotton, a tuft of hair, or a rudimentary brush made from a date stick. Traditionally practised by women and passed down from mother to daughter, Mandana has become less visible in recent years, though conservation efforts by artists such as Koshalya Devi of Baran continue to keep the tradition alive.