Baua Devi was born in the 1940s in Jitwarpur, a village in Bihar. As she grew up, she learned Madhubani from the women in her family, who practiced the art on the walls of their home. She got married at the young age of 12, where she faced abuse from both her husband and her mother-in-law, contended with poverty, drought, and famine, and had a child who died a few days after birth.

Everything changed for her when she met Bhaskar Kulkarni, who was sent by the All India Handicrafts Board to scout artistic talent in the Mithila region of Bihar as part of an initiative to promote art-based careers post-famine. He was struck by Baua Devi's immense talent, and she became the youngest out of a group of Madhubani artists who were encouraged by Kulkarni to transfer their designs to paper. Being able to sell her artwork on paper helped Baua Devi attain financial independence, and paved the path for further female empowerment through the revolutionary medium transition.

Baua Devi has been the recipient of numerous awards, beginning in 1984, when she received the National Award for her work in Madhubani. She also received the Padma Shri Civilian Award in 2017. She has displayed her artwork in galleries both within India and across the globe, and even had her artwork gifted to the Mayor of Hanover by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.