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{{short description|Folk art tradition from Northwest India}}
[[File:Chachi atro da ghar at virasti mela, bathinda.jpg|thumb|250px|Virasti mela, Bathinda: Mud wall art]]
{{Punjabis}}

'''Chowk-poorana''' or '''Chowkpurana''' is folk art practised in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[Haryana]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[Rajasthan]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=hTvNBQAAQBAJ&dq=Women+create+patterns+using+rice+flour+paste%2C+wheat+or+barley+flour+and+rice+powder+mixed+with+turmeric%2C+cow+dung&pg=PA67 Sharma, S.D (2010) Rice: Origin, Antiquity and History. CRC Press]</ref> In Uttar Pradesh, the term chowk-poorana refers to decorating the floor with various designs using flour and rice<ref>Dr Gupta, Hridaya (2018) Chowk Purna (Uttar Pradesh folk Art) Chowk poorana Uttar Pradesh ki shubh ankan lok kala. Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan, Lucknow</ref> and also the walls using designs specific to the region.<ref>Shodhgana: Chapter 4: Motifs and their Symbolism: Floor Art and other Arts ...[https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/4605/10/10_chapter%204.pdf]</ref>

Similarly, according to Aryan (1983), the term chowk-poorana in Punjab refers to floor art and mud wall painting. This art is primarily practised by women and is a folk tradition.<ref>Aryan, K.C.(1983) The Cultural Heritage of Punjab, 3000 B.C. to 1947 A.D. Rekha [https://books.google.com/books?id=hCtuAAAAMAAJ&q=rangoli]</ref> In Punjab, during festivals such as [[Holi]], [[Karva Chauth]] and [[Diwali]], walls and courtyards of rural houses are enhanced with drawings and paintings similar to [[rangoli]] in South India, ''[[Mandana Paintings|mandana]]'' in Rajasthan, and rural arts in other parts of India. Chowk-poorana mud wall art in Punjab is given shape by the peasant women of the state. In courtyards, this art is drawn using a piece cloth. The art includes drawing tree motifs, flowers, ferns, creepers, plants, peacocks, palanquins, geometric patterns along with vertical, horizontal and oblique lines. These arts add to the festive atmosphere.<ref>[http://www.deccanherald.com/content/362722/drawing-designs-walls.html Drawing Designs on Walls], Trisha Bhattacharya (13 October 2013), ''Deccan Herald''. Retrieved 7 January 2015</ref>

==Etymology and history==
The term chowk-poorana is made up of two words: Chowk means square and poorana means to fill. The art represents folk mud wall art of the Punjab drawn for decoration or festivals. Hasan (1998) records that during 1849–1949 A.D. decorative designs were painted on mud walls with the occasional bird or animal.<ref>Hasan, Mussarat (1998) Painting in the Punjab Plains: 1849-1949 Ferozsons [https://books.google.com/books?id=iuPqAAAAMAAJ&q=mud+]</ref> Gall et al. (2009) writing in the Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life: Asia and Oceania states that the folk art of Punjab may be thousands of years old, noting similarities between village potters clay toys and Harappan figurines. Women paint intricate designs on mud walls on festivals continuing a long tradition.<ref>Gall, Timothy, L.(2009) Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life, Volume 4. Gale Publishing [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZLhZAAAAYAAJ&dq=folk+art%2C+crafts%2C+and+hobbies+Contemporary+folk+arts+in+the+Punjab+represent+traditions+that+may+extend+back+several+thousand+...+Peasant+women+follow+a+tradition+of+painting+intricate+designs+on+the+mud+walls+of+their+houses+for+festival+days.&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=harappan+|}]</ref>

Similarly, the ''Haryana Review'' (1981) states that artists plaster the mud walls with cow-dung which is then whitewashed. Lines are then drawn which create symbolic paintings representing "profit, fortune and prosperity".<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=sDtazHR4ls4C&q=mud+art+haryana Haryana Review (1981)]</ref> The [[Lalit Kala Akademi]] reported in 1968 on how artists in North India draw paintings noting that some artists "have a special gift for depicting colourful scenes from the epics: some work only in very fine line work in black ink and sindhur (rose-madder)". In the same publication, the prevalence of wall art on the festival of [[Sanjhi]] is described. The festival is celebrated annually during Navratri. Women in northern India comprising the area around Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and the Punjab, plaster the walls and inner courtyards with mud and cowdung. Then geometrical designs are drawn together with circular or triangular clay discs.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=YvxIAQAAIAAJ&q=The+pictures+are+formed+at+will+according+to+their+momentary+moods+and+with+ingenuity+and+great+skill.+For+these+artists+there+is+no+prior+thought+of+composition,+no+sketch+or+drawing+from+which+they+draw+inspiration;+they+work+directly+on+to+the+walls.+...+Delhi,+Uttar+Pradesh,+and+the+Punjab)+decorate+the+front+walls+and+inner+courtyards+of+their+houses,+with+large+symbolic+images+in+triangular+compositions. Lalit Kala Contemporary, Volumes 7-14 (1968) Lalit Kala Akademi]
</ref>

==Mud wall painting==
Kang (1988), in his study of wall art in Punjab, states that the basis of the paintings are to draw circular and triangular shapes which create branches and flowers".<ref>Kang, Kanwarjit Singh (1988) Pañjāba de kandha-cittar. Punjabi University Publication Bureau.[https://books.google.com/books?id=kpHKd6Wrz1EC&q=%E0%A8%A4%E0%A8%BF%E0%A8%95%E0%A9%8B%E0%A8%A3+]</ref> According to Dhillon (1998), women create "geometrical figures like trees, birds, open hand, geometrical figures like square, triangles, and circles and sometimes abstract designs, human figures and deities".<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=edbfAAAAMAAJ&q=mud Dhillon, I.S (1998) Folk Dances of Punjab. National Books Shop]</ref> Aryan (1983) emphasises "that despite its name, the decorative designs are never drawn on the threshold of the house" but on the walls.<ref>Aryan, K.C. (1983) The Cultural Heritage of Punjab, 3000 B.C. to 1947 A.D. Rekha [https://books.google.com/books?id=hCtuAAAAMAAJ&q=rangoli]</ref> However, according to Kohli (1983), Punjabi women draw chowkpurna "designs on their thresholds for the well-being and prosperity of their family members as well as to welcome the visitors".<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=h_wpAAAAYAAJ&q=chowkpuma Kohli. Yash (1983) The Women of Punjab. Page 56Chic Publications]</ref>

Bhatti (1981) describes the process employed by artists in Punjab in painting on mud walls. The base is mud and cowdung plaster. The artist uses finger-prints and palm marks for decoration. Chalk, yellow and red clay is used for pigments. Traditional and folk-motifs are drawn on the plaster.<ref>Bhatti, S.S. (1981) Contemporary Artists in Punjab. Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BQrqAAAAMAAJ&q=these+materials+and+methods+of+the+punjabi+villagers+have+...&dq=these+materials+and+methods+of+the+punjabi+villagers+have+...&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZho2JqsroAhVSZMAKHYGlC7cQ6AEICDAA<]</ref> Black colour is also utilised.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=BTjaAAAAMAAJ&q=%E0%A8%85%E0%A8%A4%E0%A9%87+%E0%A8%AB%E0%A8%BF%E0%A8%B0+%E0%A8%95%E0%A8%B2%E0%A9%80%E0%A8%9A%E0%A9%82%E0%A8%A8%E0%A9%87+,+%E0%A8%97%E0%A9%87%E0%A8%B0%E0%A9%82+,+%E0%A8%95%E0%A8%BE%E0%A8%B2%E0%A9%87+%E0%A8%86%E0%A8%A6%E0%A8%BF+... Puni, Balbir Singh (1992) Pañjābī lokadhārā ate sabhiācāra]</ref>

Dhamija (1971) writes that the wall paintings are drawn with white rice paste. Sometimes [[ochre]] (clay) and a few colours are also used. The wall paintings display symbolic ritual designs, which are drawn to "celebrate special occasions—festivals such as Diwali or Dussehra; happy family celebrations such as birth of a child".<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Ff3pAAAAMAAJ&q=ochre] Dhamija, Ram (1971) Image India: Heritage of Indian Arts & Crafts. Vikas Publications</ref> As the art is painted on mud walls, the paintings are drawn twice and perhaps even more times, a year. Sometimes the art can also be seen on brick walls which are plastered with lime. However, the tradition is waning due to cultural changes in the Punjab.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=piNuAAAAMAAJ&q=%E0%A8%87%E0%A9%B1%E0%A8%9F%E0%A8%BE%E0%A8%82+ Pañjābī sabhiācāra (1998) Bhasha Vibhag Panjab]</ref> Nevertheless, Kang notes in 2018 that in some mud houses, traditional folk art can still be seen on the walls.<ref>Kang, Kanwarjit Singh (25 09 2018) Punjabi Tribune Pinda di parampravadi lok kala (ਪਿੰਡਾਂ ਦੀ ਪ੍ਰੰਪਰਾਵਾਦੀ ਲੋਕ-ਕਲਾ)[https://www.punjabitribuneonline.com/2018/09/%E0%A8%AA%E0%A8%BF%E0%A9%B0%E0%A8%A1%E0%A8%BE%E0%A8%82-%E0%A8%A6%E0%A9%80-%E0%A8%AA%E0%A9%8D%E0%A8%B0%E0%A9%B0%E0%A8%AA%E0%A8%B0%E0%A8%BE%E0%A8%B5%E0%A8%BE%E0%A8%A6%E0%A9%80-%E0%A8%B2%E0%A9%8B/]{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Similarly, Bedi (1978) notes that during Diwali, women plaster the walls with lime and then draw an image of Lakshmi.<ref>Bedi, Wanjara Singh (1978) Pañjābī lokadhārā wishawa kosha. Volume 8. Punjabi Prakashan [https://books.google.com/books?id=4HeCAAAAMAAJ&q=%E0%A8%9A%E0%A9%82%E0%A8%A8%E0%A8%BE]</ref>

Manku (1986) in his study of Gujjar settlements, states that people in the sub-mountainous region of Punjab people wash the outer and inner walls with white clay called golu. On the inside of the walls, women paint religious motifs with rice powder mixed with water.<ref>Manku, Darshan Singh (1986)
The Gujar Settlements: A Study in Ethnic Geography [https://books.google.com/books?id=QvAtAAAAMAAJ&q=Solution]</ref>
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===Gallery===
<gallery>
File:Virasti Mela, Bathinda (Punjabi Heritage Festival) (95).jpg|Virasti Mela, Bathinda (Punjabi Heritage Festival) Mud wall art
File:Virasti Mela, Bathinda (Punjabi Heritage Festival) (36).jpg|Virasti Mela, Bathinda (Punjabi Heritage Festival) Peacock drawn using geometrical shapes
File:Punjabi Gadda.jpg|Gadda (cart). Art on the wall and on the cart
File:BENIWAL SWEET HOUSE, Budha Khera, Kaithal, Haryana - panoramio.jpg|House Budha Khera, Kaithal, Haryana. Wall art using modern paint.
File:Ghaffar House.jpg|Ghaffar House. Punjab, Pakistan. Motifs is modern paint and plaster.
File:Punjabi Home.JPG|Traditional mud Punjabi home (Pakistan)
File:Virasti Mela, Bathinda (Punjabi Heritage Festival) (12).jpg|Virasti Mela, Bathinda Mud wall art
File:Sadda Pind - Best Tourist Destination in Amritsar.jpg|Sadda Pind Amritsar. Wall art
File:Rural kutcha village.jpg|Rural kutcha homes with folk art
File:Drying Crop in rural Punjabi home.JPG|Drying Crop in rural Punjabi home
</gallery>
{{clear}}

==Ortta/kandholi==
[[File:Village Life-2.jpg|thumb|left|Mud wall art, Punjab Pakistan]]
A similar form of folk art is noted by Kang (2019) who states that engraving drawings onto walls was popular when mud houses were common in Punjab. Even after the construction of brick houses, the cooking area in the courtyard was enclosed by a mud wall called an 'Ortta' in Punjabi where women continued to parge motifs on the wall. However, having an Ortta has also declined which has affected the practice of traditional drawing.<ref>Dr Kanwarjit Singh Kang (06.02.2019) Visri Lok Kala Ortta
Punjabi Tribune. [https://m.punjabitribuneonline.com/article/%E0%A8%B5%E0%A8%BF%E0%A8%B8%E0%A8%B0%E0%A9%80-%E0%A8%B2%E0%A9%8B%E0%A8%95-%E0%A8%95%E0%A8%B2%E0%A8%BE-%E0%A8%93%E0%A8%9F%E0%A8%BE/1501535]</ref> Kohli (1983) assigns the art of "parge decoration, in mud, wrought on the walls of houses" to women.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=h_wpAAAAYAAJ&q=parge+ Kohli, Yash (1983) The Women of Punjab. Chic Publications]</ref> Yellow clay was sometimes used as a base upon which motifs were parged.<ref>Watno Paar Punjabi News
(accessed 30 03 2020) Aurat de kala suhaj da prateek Ortta [https://web.archive.org/web/20171004134537/http://watnopaarpunjabinews.com/pb/%e0%a8%94%e0%a8%b0%e0%a8%a4-%e0%a8%a6%e0%a9%87-%e0%a8%95%e0%a8%b2%e0%a8%be-%e0%a8%b8%e0%a9%81%e0%a8%b9%e0%a8%9c-%e0%a8%a6%e0%a8%be-%e0%a8%aa%e0%a9%8d%e0%a8%b0%e0%a8%a4%e0%a9%80%e0%a8%95-%e0%a8%93/]</ref>

An Ortta is also called '''kandholi''' (wall) in Punjabi where women would paint drawings.<ref>Sandhu, Amritpal Singh (19 01 2017) NRI Sarokaar. Puratan ghar: Pendu rehtal da darpan. nrisarokar.ca</ref> According to Mitawa (2004), the wall would be plastered with coloured clay and then drawn upon using white clay to draw flowers, peacocks and birds.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=VtpjAAAAMAAJ&q=%E0%A8%95%E0%A9%B0%E0%A8%A7%E0%A9%8B%E0%A8%B2%E0%A9%80 Mitawa, Darashana (2004) Kuriam criam. Udana Publications]</ref> Kehal (2006) notes that shrubs, borders and children's pictures are also drawn on the walls.<ref>Kehal. Harkesh, Singh Alop Ho Riha Punjabi Virsa (ਆਲੋਪ ਹੋ ਰਿਹਾ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਰਸਾ) Lokgeet Prakashan [https://books.google.com/books?id=4mtuAAAAMAAJ&q=%E0%A8%AC%E0%A9%82%E0%A8%9F%E0%A9%87+]</ref>
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===Gallery===
<gallery>
File:Inside a Punjab village house.jpg|inside a Punjab village house (Pakistan)
File:روشندان.jpg|Punjabi style ventilator (Pakistan) showing parge work
</gallery>
{{clear}}

==Wall art on festivals==
[[File:ਸਾਂਝੀ ਮਾਈ ਦੀ ਤਸਵੀਰ।.jpg|thumb|150px|Contemporary Sanjhi image in Punjab]]
In Punjab, images are painted on walls on festivals such as [[Sanjhi]] and [[Ahoi Ashtami|Hoi]]. A local festival on Navratri is observed whereby wheat or barley are planted on the first day and the seedlings are immersed in water on Dussehra. The seedlings are placed before an image of a Goddess on the wall. Similarly, images are painted on festive occasions in [[Haryana]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]].

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==Floor art==
[[File:Punjabi wedding rituals.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Punjabi wedding rituals. Mayian chowk poorana]]
[[File:Rangoli2.jpg|thumb|200px|left|modern form of Chowk poorana. For the traditional chowk using flour in Hoshiarpur Punjab, see AS: image 21 in Plates section Jubbal<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Jubble | first1=Ajit Singh | title=Folk art of doaba | journal=University | date=1990 | hdl=10603/267418 | url=http://hdl.handle.net/10603/267418 }}</ref>]]
[[File:Rangoli with marble and stone pieces.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Chowk poorana with marble and stone pieces for competition in Chandigarh]]
[[File:Vijay Sampla, the Deputy Speaker, Vidhan Sabha of Punjab, Shri Dinesh Singh Babbu, the MLA, Pathankot, Shri Ashwani Sharma and other dignitaries looking the Rangoli on ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, prepared by the students.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Vijay Sampla, the Deputy Speaker, Vidhan Sabha of Punjab, Shri Dinesh Singh Babbu, the MLA, Pathankot, Shri Ashwani Sharma and other dignitaries looking the Rangoli on 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao', prepared by the students]]
[[File:Bagh Chall Board empty.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Geometrical chowk used in Punjab traditionally designed using flour and turmeric]]
According to "A dictionary of the Panjabi language prepared of the Lodiana mission" in 1854, in Punjab, chowk-poorana refers to preparing the square on the floor with flour on weddings and dedications. In religious ceremonies, symbols are drawn for worshipping.<ref>A dictionary of the Panjabi language prepared of the Lodiana mission (1854). Mission Press [https://books.google.com/books?id=agK7a7hjjq0C&dq=%E0%A8%9A%E0%A9%8C%E0%A8%82%E0%A8%95&pg=PA168]</ref> Some of the symbols used in Hindu ceremonies include drawing planets and [[Om]].<ref>Ḍhoṭa, Haraneka Siṅgha (2006) Pattala kāwī: lokadhāraka adhiaina.Amarajīta Sāhita Prakāshana.[https://books.google.com/books?id=RL5jAAAAMAAJ&q=+%E0%A8%9A%E0%A9%B0%E0%A8%A6%E0%A8%A8+]</ref> This is similar to the floor art, chowk-poorana, in Uttar Pradesh where pots are placed in the middle and the art is drawn around them in religious ceremonies.
<ref>Dr Gupta, Hridaya (2018) Chowk Purna (Uttar Pradesh folk Art) Chowk poorana Uttar Pradesh ki shubh ankan lok kala. Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan, Lucknow</ref> In Uttar Pradesh, the alternative name is Sona Rakhna.<ref>Saksena, Jogendra (1985) Mandana, a Folk Art of Rajasthan Crafts Museum [https://books.google.com/books?id=wjTaAAAAMAAJ&q=chowk+poorana+uttar+pradesh]</ref>

In the Punjab, the chowk square is drawn on the floor with flour and turmeric. Sometimes a swastika is also drawn in the square. Such drawings are made before weddings or when the mother of a new born child goes outdoors for the first time.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=hrBjAAAAMAAJ&q=%E0%A8%9A%E0%A9%8C%E0%A8%82%E0%A8%95+%E0%A8%AA%E0%A9%82%E0%A8%B0%E0%A8%A8%E0%A8%BE Malwai wde lok gita-boliam: ma suhagana shaan kare. Punjabi University]</ref><ref>[https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/33223/7/07_chapter_4.pdf Mirasi kabeela. Shodhganga]</ref> Other festive occasions include the bringing of horses/cows home for the first time. Modern squares are more colourful and use rice.

Aryan (1983) in his study of Punjab folk art writes that the floral and geometrical designs are drawn on mud walls and in courtyards using "powdered colours or earth colours such as white, ultrarine Heel and Indian red Gerua". The patterns are created using a piece of rag. The patterns tend to be simple as compared to the intricate designs of mandana paintings in Rajasthan and Gujarat.<ref>Aryan, K.C. (1983) The Cultural Heritage if Punjab 3000 B.C. - 1947A.D. Rent a Prakashan.</ref> Bedi (2001) describes a chowk depicting the planets. However, such a chowk forms part of religious ceremonies and is worshiped.<ref>Bedi, Wanjara Singh (2001)Waṇajārā Bedī dī ātama kathā. Arasi Publications [https://books.google.com/books?id=JvI1AAAAMAAJ&q=+%E0%A8%AB%E0%A9%81%E0%A8%B2%E0%A8%95%E0%A8%BE%E0%A8%B0%E0%A9%80]</ref>

Floor art of the western Himalaya region, comprising Jammu, parts of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, is called likhnoo or dehar but it is also called chowk which has its own style of designs.<ref>Tadvalkar, Nayana (2011) Ephemeral floor art of India history tradition and continuity.Researcher:[http://hdl.handle.net/10603/4605]</ref> In the lower ridges of Jammu and Himachal Pradesh, which Jerath (1971) called the Dogra region, floor art is termed chowka poorna.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.241613/page/n47/mode/2up Jerath, Ashok (1971)Folk Art of Duggar vol 1. Atlantic Publishers]</ref>

===Phulkari chowk===
[[File:India's national "BIRD" PEACOCK.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Phulkari Chowk with peacock. Motifs embroidered on Phulkaris are drawn in the Phulkari Chowk in courtyards in Punjab]]
According to Bedi (2001), sometimes chowk poorana is drawn in Punjabi courtyards using flour and colours. The designs drawn are the motifs embroidered on [[phulkari]]s. Green is used for the branches and leaves, and white, red and yellow is used for the flowers.<ref>Bedi, Wanjara Singh (2001). Waṇajārā Bedī dī ātama kathā. Arasi Publications [https://books.google.com/books?id=JvI1AAAAMAAJ&q=+%E0%A8%AB%E0%A9%81%E0%A8%B2%E0%A8%95%E0%A8%BE%E0%A8%B0%E0%A9%80]</ref> Such chowk is called the phulkari chowk. Bedi states that there are different types of chowk but the starting point is a square made with flour. However, any design can be made within the square such as circles or triangular shapes. Dots are drawn using red [[sindoor]] ([[vermilion]]).

===Process===
Bajpai (2015) in her study of "Brocade and chowkpurana craft and art of Uttar Pradesh prospects for their sustainability" reports of the process of creating chowk poorana floor art in Uttar Pradesh.<ref>Bajpai, Shaleni (2015) Brocade and chowkpurana craft and art of Uttar Pradesh prospects for their sustainability. Shodhganga [https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/77182?mode=full]</ref> She states that the night before painting the mud walls, geru is mixed with water to be spread over walls and the floor. Rice is soaked in water on the day of the painting, then finely ground and mixed with water. Geru is "spread in a square or rectangular shape depending on the occasion and after that the design was drawn." Women draw sketches using dots to draw the outline which would then be connected with lines using chalk powder on wet ground, or rice paste on dry surface. Bajpai further states that floor and wall art is practised in Uttar Pradesh on mud and bricks. The art is drawn on religious and social occasions. In Uttar Pradesh, chowk means "auspicious area of home" whereas purana means "drawing on floor/wall." Some of the festivals when chowk art is drawn include [[Raksha Bandhan]], Devthan Puja and [[Holi]]. The tradition has been passed from mother to daughter. However, Bajpai notes that the younger generation is influenced by television in the designs more than the older women who practice traditional art work peculiar to Uttar Pradesh, having not seen the folk designs of other states of India.

Although the floor art of the western Himalaya region, comprising Jammu and Himachal Pradesh, is called likhnoo, it is also called chowk or chowka poorna. According to Tadvalkar (2011),<ref>Ephemeral floor art of India history tradition and continuity.Researcher: Tadvalkar, Nayana [http://hdl.handle.net/10603/4605]</ref> in the mountainous region, it is common for women to draw "folk paintings on the floors, thresholds, walls, grain stores, ritual places etc." The process involves sweeping the floor and then plastering it with cow-dung which, once it begins to dry, is then smoothed with a round stone. Sometimes women create foliated borders using finger-tips on the wet coating. The patterns are termed hangaiyan. Tadvalkar (2011) states that the "cow-dunging process is known as lipna in the region, whereas the floor art is referred to as likhnoo (writing), dehar (with respect to dehali, the threshold) or chowk". The background is painted with brown coloured earth (loshti). Materials used to paint include rice or wheat flour paste or white earth known as golu or makol. Tadvalkar further states that women draw floral motifs such as the lotus and rose and also pointed geometrical figures. Colours are used. This type of floor art is called phullchittarana. Such floor art is drawn on various occasions including festivals.

Similarly, Gupta (2020) in her research paper Chauk poorna Uttar Pradesh ki lok sanskriti ka strot ek vivechan, also explains that the art of Chowk Purana in Uttar Pradesh is practiced by women on festivals and happy occasions.<ref>Ruchi Gupta 2020. Chauk poorna Uttar Pradesh ki lok sanskriti ka strot ek vivechan. Shodhganga [http://hdl.handle.net/10603/268851]</ref> Gupta also describes a specific type of Chowk art. When art is drawn at the threshold of a house on a wedding, the art is called chetrau or chiteri which incorporates an image of Ganesh. The colours used to draw a chiteri included yellow, blue and green.

==See also==
*[[Kolam]]
*[[Mandana paintings]]
*[[Rangoli]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Worship in Hinduism}}
{{Punjab, India}}
{{Punjab, India}}
{{Haryana}}

[[Category:Punjabi culture]]
[[Category:Indian art]]
[[Category:Folk art of Punjab]]
[[Category:Asian folk art]]
[[Category:Indian folklore]]
[[Category:Folklore by country]]
[[Category:Asian folklore]]

Chowk poorana - Revision history

Matrika at 00:12, 17 December 2025