Mithila Art Centre, Janakpur

Mithila painting is a tradition of the women of the Maithili-speaking plains. Painted on house walls for weddings and festivals, its bold outlines, patterns and figures of gods, fish, birds and village life are now also made on paper, cloth and pottery.

The Janakpur Women's Development Centre at Kupatole, just south of the city, trains and employs local women artists. Visitors can watch them at work and buy directly from them. In villages around Janakpur you may still see freshly painted walls, especially after Tihar and weddings.