For hundreds of years, the Mithila region of central Bihar, India, and southern Nepal has been home to a women's wall and floor painting tradition, rooted in life cycle and domestic rituals. Since the mid-1960s when the paintings were first transferred to paper, the painting tradition has expanded dramatically, artists of international stature have emerged, and Mithila painting has become a great gift to the world.

The Ethnic Arts Foundation (EAF) was established in 1980 to promote national and international recognition and appreciation of Mithila painting; to encourage its continuing evolution and development; to increase the flow of returns to the painters and the community; and to help identify and train future generations of artists.

This website is intended as an introduction and tribute to the Mithila artists, their work, and their community.