Madhubani paintings were first created at Mithila, the birthplace of Hindu goddess Sita. When Sita and her husband Prince Rama were to be married, King Janak, father of Sita, asked for paintings to capture moments of the marriage. Madhubani painting (or Mithila painting) was traditionally created by the women of various communities in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinents. It originated from Madhubani district of the Mithila region of Bihar. Madhubani is also a major export center of these paintings. This painting as a form of wall art was practiced widely throughout the region; the more recent development of painting on paper and canvas mainly originated among the villages around Madhubani, and it is these latter developments that led to the term "Madhubani art" being used alongside "Mithila Painting."

The paintings were traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts, but now they are also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas. Madhubani paintings are made from the paste of powdered rice. Madhubani painting has remained confined to a compact geographical area and the skills have been passed on through centuries, the content and the style have largely remained the same. Thus, Madhubani painting has received GI (Geographical Indication) status. Madhubani paintings use two-dimensional imagery, and traditionally colors derived from nature. Traditional pigments used were: vermilion powder mixed with grounded mustard seeds for red, cow dung mixed with lampblack for greenish black, rice paste for white, Pevdi for lemon yellow, turmeric for yellow ochre, Indigo for blue, palash flower for orange, bilva leaf for green, and red clay for indian red. Gum arabic or goat's milk formed the paint's binder, gum arabic used for painting on paper and goat's milk used mainly for wall paintings. Chemical powder pigment from Calcutta also became available in the 1940's. Artists continue to utilize traditional brushes, which consist of bamboo slivers, rags, and sticks.

Mithila art has five distinctive styles:
• Bharni
• Katchni
• Tantrik
• Godna
• Kohbar
In the 1960s, Bharni and Tantrik styles of Madhubani art were predominantly created by Brahmin women in India and Nepal, focusing on religious themes and depictions of gods and goddesses. Artists from other castes incorporated elements from their daily lives, local legends like the story of Raja Shailesh, and various symbols into their paintings. In contemporary times, Madhubani art has evolved into a global art form, transcending caste distinctions. Artists now freely work across all five styles, and Mithila art has gained international recognition. Khobar style, also known as puren, is traditionally painted on the wall of a Mithila wedding chamber, where a bride and groom spend their first night together. They most often depict circular motifs made up on feminized faces, and lines drawn in red and black ink. There are both Brahman and Kayastha versions of the Khobar style.

In the 1960s, Madhubani painters began to paint on canvas and paper in an effort to raise new sources of income for women in the impoverished Mithila region.

The Madhubani painting tradition played a key role in the conservation efforts in India in 2012, where there was frequent deforestation in the state of Bihar. Gram Vikas Parishad, an NGO, led the initiative to protect local trees in Bihar from being cut down from development and road expansion. Local painters were employed to paint trees with a mixture of lime, glue and synthetic enamel as a deterrent from deforestation. Paintings included gods and other religious and spiritual images such as those of Radha-Krishna, Rama-Sita, scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata and other epics.

This art form has ties to the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) of Madhubani. Madhubani artists have been featured in multiple museum collections and exhibitions, including a UNESCO Christmas card collection, and an exhibit from San Francisco's Asian Art Museum titled Painting is My Everything: Art From India's Mithila Region in 2018.

Notable artists include Karpoori Devi, Sita Devi, Jagdamba Devi, Ganga Devi, Baua Devi, Mahasundari Devi, and Gadavari Datta.