Folk Dances from Bihar

Bhaktas

The trance dance connected with the Chaitra Parba, as celebrated in Mayurbhanj of Orissa and in Seraikela of Bihar, is totally different from the trance dances covered earlier. The well known Chhau dances are also performed as another part of the Chaitra Parba. In the lunar calendar Chaitra, corresponding to March/April, is the last month of the year. The last day of the month falls on 13th April. The Indian New Year begins from 14th April. The last 15 days of the month of Chaitra is celebrated as the Chaiira Parba both by the tribal as well as the non-tribal communities. The tribal celebrate it in a different way. The celebration of non-tribal communities has several components,. The performance of Chhau dances on the last two days of the month is one of the components. The way the Bhaktas, a special kind of Shaivite devotees, observe the Parba is another component. The Bhakas belong to the caste of Teli (oilman) which is a lower rung of the caste ladder. Thirteen hereditary members of the Teli caste observe the Parba in quite austere manner for about 15 days. On the first day they perform a ritual to belong to the Shiva gotra (Lineage). From that day they wear sacred threads like the Brahmins till the end of the Parba. They take only one meal a day and perform some rituals daily in the afternoon after taking ritual bath in a river. The rituals of the last four days are extremely arduous. After taking the ritual bath the Bhaktas go to the temple of mother goddess and from there to the place of the ritual. Their leader goes into trance and shakes his head rhythmically to the beat of the drums. Then they roll on tough thorns but their bodies do not show any prick mark of the thorns. This is called Kanta-paat. The next day they do the same rituals but lastly they walk on burning coke. It is called nian-patt. Next day the last ritual is called jhoola-paat in which the Bhaktas, one after another, hang themselves upside down over burning fire. The last day ritual is called udaa-paat. in which the devotees gyrate high above the ground tied to a T-shaped pole. The leader while gyrating releases a pigeon which he would be holding with both hands. This release of the pigeon is the symbol of the release of the soul from the Maya.

There is yet another trance dance connected with the Chaittra Parva. On the 26th Day of the month of Chaitra an earthen pot filled with water is brought out in a procession. The pitcher is called Jatra-ghata. The bearer of ghata (pitcher) goes into a trance and dances to the music provided by Dhols, the barrel-shaped drums, and Mahuris, reeled wind instruments. There is yet another pitcher that the Bhaktas bring at midnight to the arena where chhau dances are being presented. This pitcher is called Nishi (night) or Kamana (desire) ghata. The symbolism of pitcher filled with water has been discussed under the ritual dance named Karagam. Here also the symbolism is the same. When the Bhakfas with the Nishi-ghata come to the Chhau stage, the orchestra plays a particular tune and the Bhaktas dance with simple typical stepping for a while. It is believed that the Nishi ghata sanctities the Chhau stage. Both the ghata and the face of its bearer are painted red with vermilion mixed with oil. In Tantrik rituals while vermilion represents the menstrual blood which is the symbol of the creative energy of the female principle, the sandalwood paste represents semen the symbol of male force that makes the creative energy functional. The creative energy is spread from procreative to artistic creativity. The Nishi ghata painted red with vermilion symbolizes the blessing of the mother goddess for richer artistic activity.

Domrua

The Ho tribal community living in Orissa, Bihar and West Bengal holds a series of festivals connected with different agricultural operations from sowing to harvesting. Dancing is a must for every festival. Ho is the shorter form of Horo that literally means a human being. The dance that the Hos perform at the time of sowing paddy seeds is called Domrua. The festival is held in April/May. First the spirits of the ancestors are worshipped and a cock is sacrificed. The fields where the seeds will be sown is given turmeric. The Gods of the field are called Nage-era and Bindi-era. When the rituals are over, both men and women perform the Domrua dance.

Karma

Karma dance is performed by many tribal communities living in Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, in varying forms and styles. One factor is common that the ceremony of Karma is performed to bring prosperity to the community and a branch of Karma tree is brought and planted around which the dance is performed. Although it is basically a tribal ceremony, a few non-tribal communities also observe it. Invariably a legend is associated with each style of Karma dance. The karma legend associated with the dance prevalent in eastern Madhya Pradesh runs as follows : Once upon a time there was a very benevolent king by name Karmachand. When he was defeated by the army of the neighboring kingdom he fled to the forest. One day he saw some lamps burning at a distance. The king was surprised and went near the lamps. He found that a god was sitting on his throne and young girls are dancing before him. The moment they saw the king they vanished. Karamchand went and fell prostrated at the feet of the god who asked him what he wanted. The king begged the god to return his kingdom to him. The god said that if the king performs Karmapooja he will get back his kingdom. As advised by the god, Karmachand sent unmarried girls to bring a branch of the Karma (kadam) tree which was planted on a sanctified place. The branch was worshipped and the Karma dance was performed throughout the night. In the morning the branch was ritually floated down the river. Immediately the king got the news that his enemies have fled the kingdom. He thus got back his throne. Those who want to avert their misfortune should observe the Karma ceremony exactly as the king did.

The Karma ceremony is held in the lunar month of Ashwin, corresponding to September/October. In the eastern Madhya Pradesh it is performed thrice. The first is held on third day of Ashwin. In this only unmarried girls take part. The second is held on the eleventh day in which both unmarried girls and boys participate. The third is observed just twelve days after the second in which women also take part, irrespective of whether married or unmarried. The rituals and dance remain the same for all the three observances. The Karma observed by the tribal communities of Chhatisgarh is associated with a legend which is different and has some similarity with that prevalent in Orissa. Both tribal and non-tribal communities living in the district of Sambalpur and Phulbani in Orissa observe the Karma festival. Here the ceremony also includes some entertaining items. The legend associated with the Karma of Orissa is as follows : Six sons of a rich merchant set sail in a ship for trade, leaving the youngest at home. When they returned they found that their wives are dancing Karma dance and the youngest brother is playing the drum. Enraged they drove away their wives. The karma god was angry and the wealth of the six brothers vanished. They went to the god and prayed that their wealth may be restored to them. The god said that if they take back their wives and continue to observe the Karma they will regain their vanished wealth. They did exactly as the god wanted them to do and they got back their wealth. From that day Karma festival is being celebrated every year in the month of Ashwin.

In Bihar also a few non-tribal communities like Mahato, Malah, Chamar, etc observe the Karma ceremony like the tribal, but it is held during the rainy season and related to transplanting of paddy.