Gond art—also known as Pradhan painting or Jangarh Kalam—carries a cultural legacy spanning over two millennia, with documented roots dating back more than 1,400 years. Originating on the mud walls, floors, and ceilings of Gond dwellings in Madhya Pradesh, the art form has since evolved and spread across central India, including Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Maharashtra. While its materials and mediums have expanded—from natural pigments to acrylics, and from walls to canvas, textiles, and contemporary forms—the essence of Gond art remains unchanged. Rooted in an animistic belief system, it views trees, animals, rivers, and landscapes as living, conscious beings. Painting them is an act of reverence, not decoration. Each work is built around a central motif and filled with rhythmic lines, dots, and dashes, transforming the process into a meditative practice that reflects balance, movement, and the deep interconnectedness of all life.
Art, Motifs & Meaning
A name with ancestry
Gond art is also known as Pradhan painting and Jangarh Kalam—names that trace its artists, ancestry, and evolution.
Gond art carries more than one name—each marking a chapter in its journey from village walls to the contemporary world.
The Language of Motifs
Gond motifs are drawn from the natural world—trees, animals, birds, rivers, and everyday village life. Each form carries meaning, symbolising protection, balance, continuity, and the deep connection between humans and nature.
Tradition, Transformed
Gond art now lives within modern homes through paintings, furnishings, and curated objects. Its timeless motifs allow ancestral stories to exist seamlessly within contemporary life.
Explore Gond Collection
