Warli painting is a very popular form of tribal painting in India. Their major themes include the harvest season, celebration, wedding, rituals and births.
Warli is the name of the largest tribe found at the outskirts of Mumbai, Maharashtra. The term ‘warli’ has its etymological roots in ‘warla’ meaning a piece of land or field. There is a belief among the historians that the tradition of Warli dates back to the Age between 2,500 BC and 3,000 BC. This has since moved across the territories and borders and has now become a precious possession of several art lovers and collectors. The Warlis are mainly a tribe dependant on agriculture and they live in thatched mud-huts, which are built is such a way that they all encircle a central cell. The houses of Warlis are decorated with a vocabulary of patterns. This practice encouraged to what it is presently called the Warli Paintings. Warli paintings largely demonstrate the basic components of life which are the primary themes or basis of any tribe. Warli art holds a special characteristic of exhibiting the humble life led by the Warli tribe.