Bihar · Updated 2026-10-20
WhatsApp Business API for Madhubani's painters, sikki makers and makhana units
A Madhubani painting that once lived on a mud wall now leaves by courier, after the buyer has picked its style in a WhatsApp chat.
Madhubani painting began on freshly plastered mud walls and now travels on paper, cloth and canvas. The buyers are often far away, and they choose the style, the size and the theme in a WhatsApp chat before a line is drawn.
- State
- Bihar
- District
- Madhubani, carved out of Darbhanga in 1972[2]
- Border
- Nepal's hills to the north; Janakpur just north-west[2]
- District ODOP
- Madhubani painting, sikki painting, makhana[5]
- Stations
- Madhubani (MBI), Rajanagar, Lalit Lakshmipur[4]
- Nearest airport
- Darbhanga (DBG), about 31 km[4]
- Templates
- Hindi, English; replies in Maithili[10]
For Madhubani's painters and artists' groups, sikki makers, makhana processors and khadi and craft shops: how a painting commission runs on WhatsApp from the first question to the courier, which messages need a Hindi or English template, and what each costs in rupees.
See it work
A Madhubani painting commission, from style list to courier
A buyer in Bengaluru wants a painting for a wedding gift and writes to an artists' group in Madhubani. Step through the chat: the style is picked from a list, the advance is paid, and the dispatch note comes days later.
A commission is mostly conversation: the buyer asks, the group answers with a style list, photos and a price, all inside the 24-hour service window. The dispatch note comes weeks later, when the window has long closed, so it goes as a template Meta has approved as utility.
Photos of next season's work sent to past buyers would be marketing, and need each buyer's yes first. The India guide covers consent under the DPDP Act.
A Madhubani artists' group and a buyer far away
Today
- Customer: We need a Madhubani painting on canvas as a wedding gift. Which styles do you paint?10:30
- Mithila painters' group, Madhubani: Our painters work in all five. Pick one to see samples.View options10:31ReadView optionsBharniKachniTantrikGodnaKohbar
- Customer: Kohbar, please.10:32
- Mithila painters' group, Madhubani: PhotoThree Kohbar pieces our painters finished this season, all in natural colours.10:33Read
- Customer: The second one, on a larger canvas. Can it reach us before the wedding?10:34
- Mithila painters' group, Madhubani: Yes, if we start this week. Pay the advance here to book the commission.Review and pay10:35Read
- Mithila painters' group, Madhubani: Your painting has left MadhubaniYour Kohbar painting is on its way. The courier and docket number are below; reply here with any question.Reply STOP to end order updates10:36Delivered
Message 7 of 7
Mithila painters' group, MadhubaniTemplateDelivered (two grey ticks)
Weeks later, after the window closed: a utility template.
A pre-approved template with header, body, footer and buttons — the only way to message a customer outside the 24-hour window.
Message 7 of 7: Mithila painters' group, Madhubani, Template, Delivered (two grey ticks). Weeks later, after the window closed: a utility template.
Market brief
Madhubani and Mithila, from the sources
From the Madhubani district website, Invest India's ODOP list and IBEF's Bihar profile, with the painting's styles and villages from Wikipedia.
- 01
Madhubani was the northern subdivision of Darbhanga until 1972, when it was carved out as a district in Bihar's reorganisation of districts.[2]
- 02
The district is bounded on the north by a hill region of Nepal, with Janakpur, the capital of Videha, just north-west; Darbhanga lies south, Sitamarhi west and Supaul east.[2]
- 03
The district site calls it the centre of the territory once known as Mithila, and notes that khadi production grew after a khadi centre opened in Madhubani during the non-cooperation movement.[2]
- 04
It lists 21 development blocks, six urban local bodies and Hindi, English and Maithili as languages.[1]
- 05
Madhubani painting is traditionally done by women, now by men as well: line drawings filled with bright colours, leaving no empty space, in pigments from soot, turmeric, indigo, flowers, leaves and rice powder.[3]
- 06
First painted on mud walls, it moved to handmade paper, cloth and canvas with encouragement from the All India Handicrafts Board, and the district site calls it a primary income for scores of families.[3]
- 07
The painting has GI status; Jitwarpur, Ranti and Rasidpur are the places most associated with it, and its five styles are Bharni, Kachni, Tantrik, Godna and Kohbar.[11]
- 08
Madhubani painting, sikki painting and makhana are the district's products on the ODOP list, and IBEF reports a first sea shipment of GI-tagged Mithila makhana to Australia.[5],[6]
- 09
Madhubani has no airport; Darbhanga's is about 31 km away. The district's stations include Madhubani (MBI), Rajanagar and Lalit Lakshmipur.[4]
Industries
Who in Madhubani writes to whom
Four kinds of business, three of them on the district's ODOP list.
- 01
- 02
Sikki makers
Sikki painting is on the district's ODOP list, sold to shops and buyers who choose pieces from photos.[5]
On WhatsApp: Photo replies inside the window · Order confirmations · Courier and docket notes
- 03
- 04
Khadi and craft shops
Khadi has a long history in Madhubani, and the town's shops sell it beside painted and sikki goods to visitors and regular customers.[2]
On WhatsApp: Order-ready notices · Festival offers to customers who said yes · Replies about stock
Hindi and English templates, Maithili in the chat
Maithili is one of the district's languages but not one Meta approves templates in, so Madhubani's templates go in Hindi or English. Each language version is approved once.
Inside the 24-hour window, after a buyer writes, painters and shop staff can reply in Maithili or any other language with no template. InfiQ's own support team works in English and Hindi.
| Language | Meta code | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | hi | Customers and buyers across Bihar and north India |
| English (India) | en_IN | Galleries, boutiques, couriers and invoices |
| English | en | Painting and makhana buyers abroad |
On InfiQ
What a Madhubani artists' group or makhana unit runs on InfiQ
The tools behind the commission chat.
- InfiQ Flows chatbot builder
A no-code builder for automated conversations (27 blocks, versioned publishing with rollback), priced per flow; the Growth plan includes one.
A Flows chatbot can show the five styles, sizes and lead times when a buyer writes at night, and hand the chat to a painter in the morning.
- WhatsApp Coexistence
Keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number while the API runs alongside it, within Meta's coexistence limits.
A group that already sells from the WhatsApp Business app can keep it on the same number while the API sends dispatch templates.
- Published per-market rates
InfiQ publishes its per-message rate for every Meta market in rupees, ex-GST, so the cost of messaging customers abroad is known before you send.
A makhana unit or painter writing to buyers abroad sees each country's per-message rate in rupees before sending.
- Consent records and opt-out enforcement
Each contact's opt-in source and time are recorded, STOP replies are enforced at platform level (even against later imports), and the audit trail exports.
Each buyer's yes to new-work photos is stored with its source and time, and a STOP holds against later imports.
Prices in ₹, with USD and EUR
What a Madhubani painter, maker or shop pays
Plans from ₹999 a month, plus each delivered message at the India rate: ₹0.19 for an advance receipt or dispatch note, ₹0.94 for new-work photos or a festival offer, ₹0.14 for a login code and ₹0.145 for each reply to a buyer who wrote.
Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC
Lite
₹999 / month≈ $10.51 USD
₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ $8.76 USD
Everything a growing business needs to run WhatsApp properly.
Growth
₹2,999 / month≈ $31.55 USD
₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ $26.29 USD
Lite, plus the API, automation and team scale serious senders need.
Enterprise
Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.
Per message to Madhubani · India
| Category | ₹ INR | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹0.9435 | $0.0099 |
| Utility | ₹0.1941 | $0.0020 |
| Authentication | ₹0.1402 | $0.0015 |
| Service | ₹0.1450 | $0.0015 |
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and USD
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | $0.0572₹5.4352 | $0.0241₹2.2874 | $0.0241₹2.2874 | $0.0241₹2.2874 |
| Bangladesh | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0034₹0.3254 | $0.0034₹0.3254 | $0.0034₹0.3254 |
| Brazil | $0.0578₹5.4970 | $0.0063₹0.5981 | $0.0063₹0.5981 | $0.0063₹0.5981 |
| Chile | $0.0822₹7.8162 | $0.0185₹1.7585 | $0.0185₹1.7585 | $0.0185₹1.7585 |
| Colombia | $0.0116₹1.0993 | $0.0007₹0.0706 | $0.0007₹0.0706 | $0.0007₹0.0706 |
| Egypt | $0.0596₹5.6629 | $0.0033₹0.3167 | $0.0033₹0.3167 | $0.0033₹0.3167 |
| France | $0.0795₹7.5588 | $0.0278₹2.6393 | $0.0278₹2.6393 | $0.0278₹2.6393 |
| Germany | $0.126₹12.0088 | $0.0509₹4.8386 | $0.0509₹4.8386 | $0.0509₹4.8386 |
| Hong Kong | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0241₹2.2867 | $0.0241₹2.2867 | $0.0241₹2.2867 |
| Hungary | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0323₹3.0700 | $0.0323₹3.0700 | $0.0323₹3.0700 |
| India | $0.0099₹0.9435 | $0.0020₹0.1941 | $0.0015₹0.1402 | $0.0015₹0.1450 |
| Indonesia | $0.0380₹3.6133 | $0.0231₹2.1979 | $0.0231₹2.1979 | $0.0231₹2.1979 |
| Iraq | $0.0316₹2.9992 | $0.0073₹0.6943 | $0.0073₹0.6943 | $0.0073₹0.6943 |
| Israel | $0.0327₹3.1045 | $0.0049₹0.4662 | $0.0049₹0.4662 | $0.0049₹0.4662 |
| Italy | $0.0735₹6.9847 | $0.0277₹2.6369 | $0.0277₹2.6369 | $0.0277₹2.6369 |
| Kazakhstan | $0.0559₹5.3098 | $0.0166₹1.5824 | $0.0166₹1.5824 | $0.0166₹1.5824 |
| Kuwait | $0.0733₹6.9671 | $0.0407₹3.8671 | $0.0407₹3.8671 | $0.0407₹3.8671 |
| Malaysia | $0.0796₹7.5644 | $0.0130₹1.2314 | $0.0130₹1.2314 | $0.0130₹1.2314 |
| Mexico | $0.0367₹3.4877 | $0.0079₹0.7471 | $0.0079₹0.7471 | $0.0079₹0.7471 |
| Morocco | $0.0383₹3.6425 | $0.0213₹2.0218 | $0.0213₹2.0218 | $0.0213₹2.0218 |
| Netherlands | $0.148₹14.0494 | $0.0463₹4.3987 | $0.0463₹4.3987 | $0.0463₹4.3987 |
| Nepal | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0031₹0.2990 | $0.0031₹0.2990 | $0.0031₹0.2990 |
| Nigeria | $0.0478₹4.5421 | $0.0062₹0.5898 | $0.0062₹0.5898 | $0.0062₹0.5898 |
| Oman | $0.0316₹2.9992 | $0.0228₹2.1709 | $0.0228₹2.1709 | $0.0228₹2.1709 |
| Pakistan | $0.0438₹4.1620 | $0.0139₹1.3200 | $0.0139₹1.3200 | $0.0139₹1.3200 |
| Peru | $0.0651₹6.1843 | $0.0278₹2.6392 | $0.0278₹2.6392 | $0.0278₹2.6392 |
| Poland | $0.0338₹3.2105 | $0.0113₹1.0702 | $0.0113₹1.0702 | $0.0113₹1.0702 |
| Qatar | $0.0316₹2.9992 | $0.0111₹1.0547 | $0.0111₹1.0547 | $0.0111₹1.0547 |
| Romania | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0268₹2.5436 | $0.0268₹2.5436 | $0.0268₹2.5436 |
| Russia | $0.0742₹7.0520 | $0.0370₹3.5173 | $0.0370₹3.5173 | $0.0370₹3.5173 |
| Saudi Arabia | $0.0532₹5.0537 | $0.0099₹0.9401 | $0.0099₹0.9401 | $0.0099₹0.9401 |
| Singapore | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0148₹1.4072 | $0.0148₹1.4072 | $0.0148₹1.4072 |
| South Africa | $0.0351₹3.3385 | $0.0088₹0.8369 | $0.0088₹0.8369 | $0.0088₹0.8369 |
| Spain | $0.0654₹6.2161 | $0.0185₹1.7578 | $0.0185₹1.7578 | $0.0185₹1.7578 |
| Sri Lanka | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0019₹0.1759 | $0.0019₹0.1759 | $0.0019₹0.1759 |
| Turkey | $0.0101₹0.9587 | $0.0008₹0.0792 | $0.0008₹0.0792 | $0.0008₹0.0792 |
| Ukraine | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0275₹2.6138 | $0.0275₹2.6138 | $0.0275₹2.6138 |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.0532₹5.0537 | $0.0145₹1.3811 | $0.0145₹1.3811 | $0.0145₹1.3811 |
| United Kingdom | $0.0587₹5.5795 | $0.0204₹1.9346 | $0.0204₹1.9346 | $0.0204₹1.9346 |
| North America | $0.0231₹2.1976 | $0.0031₹0.2989 | $0.0031₹0.2989 | $0.0031₹0.2989 |
| Rest of Africa | $0.0208₹1.9796 | $0.0037₹0.3516 | $0.0037₹0.3516 | $0.0037₹0.3516 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | $0.0779₹7.4057 | $0.0105₹0.9938 | $0.0105₹0.9938 | $0.0105₹0.9938 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0196₹1.8595 | $0.0196₹1.8595 | $0.0196₹1.8595 |
| Rest of Latin America | $0.0684₹6.5048 | $0.0105₹0.9934 | $0.0105₹0.9934 | $0.0105₹0.9934 |
| Rest of Middle East | $0.0363₹3.4490 | $0.0084₹0.7998 | $0.0084₹0.7998 | $0.0084₹0.7998 |
| Rest of Western Europe | $0.0548₹5.2054 | $0.0158₹1.5019 | $0.0158₹1.5019 | $0.0158₹1.5019 |
| Other | $0.0559₹5.3098 | $0.0071₹0.6769 | $0.0071₹0.6769 | $0.0071₹0.6769 |
Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. Buyers on +91 numbers are billed at the India rate; a buyer abroad, or across the border in Nepal, is billed at that country's rate, published in rupees on the pricing page. Invoices carry your Bihar GSTIN.
Work out your own monthly cost by message type.
Calculate your exact costNearby
Madhubani and the towns of Mithila on the map
City pages for the nearest markets, nearest first.
Madhubani's paintings, sikki and makhana go out through Darbhanga and the towns of north Bihar; each page covers its own trades, and the India guide covers DPDP, DLT and the rules for the whole country.
Guides for Madhubani teams
Questions Madhubani businesses ask
- Our artists' group near Jitwarpur wants to send photos of new Madhubani paintings to everyone who bought from us. May we?
- Only to buyers who agreed to receive them. Photos of new work aim to sell, so Meta treats them as a marketing template at ₹0.94, and WhatsApp's policy requires each recipient's opt-in; a past purchase is not that agreement. Ask each buyer, note the date, and remove anyone who asks to stop.
- A buyer commissions a Kohbar painting for a wedding. Can the advance receipt and the courier note go on WhatsApp?
- Yes. Both are about this buyer's own order and carry no offer, so each is a utility template at ₹0.19, approved once in Hindi and once in English. If the buyer writes back about the colours or the date, your painters can reply freely for 24 hours.
- Buyers write to our Madhubani sikki workshop asking for photos of sikki pieces. Do those answers need templates?
- No. When a buyer writes first, a 24-hour window opens and you can send photos, prices and sizes as ordinary replies, each a service message at ₹0.145 on InfiQ. A template is needed only when you write first or after the window has closed.
- Our Mithila makhana unit in Madhubani gets enquiries from importers abroad. What does a WhatsApp reply to them cost?
- Meta charges by the recipient's country code, so each importer is billed at that market's rate, which InfiQ publishes in rupees on the pricing page, not at the India rate. A dispatch or invoice note about the importer's own order is a utility template there too.
- Customers of our Madhubani shop speak Maithili, the language of Mithila. Can a festival offer go out to them in Maithili?
- Not as a template: Maithili is not on Meta's template language list. Send the offer in Hindi as a marketing template at ₹0.94, only to customers who opted in, and answer any reply in Maithili inside the 24-hour window, when no template is needed.
- A khadi shop in Madhubani, where khadi grew after the non-cooperation movement, wants to announce a Gandhi Jayanti sale. Is that allowed?
- Yes, to customers who agreed to receive offers. A sale announcement is a marketing template at ₹0.94. Order-ready notices and bills for customers who bought are utility templates at ₹0.19; keep the sale out of them, because Meta treats a utility note with a promotion as marketing.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. Page updated 2026-10-20.
- [1]Madhubani district: official website · District Administration, Madhubani · read 2026-10-21
- [2]History · District Administration, Madhubani · read 2026-10-21
- [3]Handicraft · District Administration, Madhubani · read 2026-10-21
- [4]How to Reach · District Administration, Madhubani · read 2026-10-21
- [5]ODOP product list, V33 (31 December 2025) · Invest India · read 2026-10-21
- [6]Bihar: state profile (updated July 2026) · India Brand Equity Foundation · read 2026-10-21
- [7]Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform · Meta for Developers · read 2026-10-21
- [8]Template category guidelines · Meta for Developers · read 2026-10-21
- [9]WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · WhatsApp · read 2026-10-21
- [10]Supported languages for message templates · Meta for Developers · read 2026-10-21
- [11]Madhubani art (GI status, villages and styles only) · Wikipedia · read 2026-10-21
Take Madhubani's commissions from first question to courier
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