Chowk Poorana is a wall painting done in
Punjab, during festive occasions like
Dussehra, Karva Chauth,
Holi and
Diwali. This art is practiced by the women, especially those belonging to the peasant community, in the rural areas. This painting, done on mud walls, is meant to invoke the presence of
Goddess Lakshmi in the house and obtain her blessings to usher in prosperity and wealth.
The art involved in Chowk Poorana is taught to girls at a very young age by their mothers or other elder women. The paintings are marked by their simplicity. The commonly employed motifs include red berry tree (a fertility symbol), palm tree, orange tree, a creeper called ‘mahanjal,’ eggplant and mango tree. The images also include human figures and animals. The images are drawn using a series of lines, circles, dots and other geometrical patterns. Usually white, blue and red colors are used.
