Warli, an Indian folk art painting, has traveled across borders and are now the cherished possessions of many a collector and art lover. This painting derives its name from a small tribe inhabiting the remote regions of Maharashtra. The Warlis are primarily an agriculture-dependant tribe and their houses are made of thatched mud-huts, which are constructed in such a way so that they all surround a central cell. Historians say that the Warli tradition can be traced to the Neolithic period between 2,500 BC and 3,000 BC. During the harvest season, happy occasions like weddings and births, their houses are adorned with a vocabulary of patterns. This custom gave rise to what we now know as the Warli Painting.

Warli Paintings are characterized by the simple style employed to say the profoundest things. The use of color is restricted to a stark white against earthen backgrounds. Geometric designs dominate most paintings; dots and crooked lines are the units of these compositions. The monochromatic tribal paintings express various folk imaginations,beliefs and customs. The whims and moods of tribal life make for interesting themes, which is why Warli Paintings are much more than designs on walls, they are authentic depictions of a way of life. However, the philosophy of a way of life, especially those of tribal societies, is best depicted through colorful images.

Trees, birds, men and women collaborate to create a composite whole in Tribal Paintings and the paintings of the Warli tribe of Maharashtra are the most joyous celebration of that very philosophy. Even spiral formations of men and women and concentric circular designs in Warli Paintings are symbolic of the circle of life. In fact most of these seemingly simple paintings abound in symbolism. The harmony and balance depicted in these paintings is supposed to signify the harmony and balance of the universe. Unlike other tribal art forms the Warli Paintings do not employ religious iconography, making it a more secular art form.

Marriage is the most recurring theme of Warli paintings. Many Warli paintings depict Palghat, the marriage god, accompanied by a horse and of course the bride and the groom. They consider these paintings sacred. Men and women dancing in circles, during various celebrations, is another theme typical to the Warli Paintings. A musician playing a native instrument is usually found in the middle of such spirals. Flora and fauna are also depicted in these paintings. In recent times, these paintings also include a few modern elements like bicycles or transistors tucked in corners of the paintings. The cracked walls of the village of Warli have been adorned with these paintings for centuries and even today they form the primary decoration of most such houses.