
Warli painting belongs to the Warli tribe based in South Gujarat and north-western Maharashtra. This ritual wall painting dates back to 2500-3000 BC. The murals use a very basic graphic vocabulary a circle, a triangle and a square. The circle represents the sun and the moon, the triangle the mountains and pointed trees. The central motive in each painting is the square, which symbolizes a sacred enclosure or piece of land. First the mud walls are coated with a cow dung paste and then gheru (red soil). Wooden sticks are used for brushes to paint scenes of hunting, dancing and cultivation, geometrical patterns of trees, birds and animals. Warlis decorate their homes with these images in honour of special occasions such as birth or marriage.