Folk Dances from Orissa

Baa Parab

The Santhal and Ho tribal communities living in Orissa, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, celebrate the Baha or Baa Parab in February/March when the Sal trees are in bloom. Parab means festival. It is the most important festival for the Santhals and Hos. The region where the two tribal communities live is full of dense forests of tall Sal trees. They use the wood and leaves of the Sal trees for various purposes. Therefore, they admire the Sal trees which are in blossom with the advent of the spring season. Baha or Baa in the tribal dialect means flowers. On the day the festival begins, the village priest called Diuri offers Sal flowers to the presiding deity of the village along with the sacrifice of a fowl. During the offering, the ritual is performed strictly according to the tradition. After the ritual, the young girls go to the forest to collect Sal flowers. They offer the flowers to their brothers as a token of love and affection. It is similar to the tying of rakhi by the girls of non-tribal communities, especially in North India. After the offering of flowers the dance is performed. The girls and the boys stand in two files, facing each other. While dancing, the two files come closer and separate alternatively according to the rhythm. Dances are performed in as many as ten different rhythmic cycles, namely, Saar, Baa, Racha, Jape, Ghanguriya, Gaudua, Daonria, Gena, Jadur and Khemta. Some of the rhythmic cycles are influenced by the-non-tribal music of the region. The drum that rules the dance is called Mandar, a conical drum with two faces. The melodic content of the accompanying music is provided by Basni the bamboo flute.

The Munda tribe of Bihar also celebrate the Baa Parab. The tribes are very meticulous about the festival. The songs and dance performed at the festival are never performed at any other time. They will not touch the Sal tree or use its leaves for about one month before the festival. They are so particular that they will not even touch the water of a pond where by chance a Sal flower falls before the ritual of the festival.

Batauli Nach

The festival that is held next is called Batauli Parab. It is celebrated in the month of August/September and is associated with the proper growth and vitality of the standing crop. This festival is also dedicated to the memory of the legendary hero Lita. The dance is named after the festival, i.e., Batauli Nach.

Bijja Pandu

In Koraput district of Orissa live the Koyas, a tribal community. Most of their dances reflect the perils of jungle life and hunting. In the lunar month of Chaitra (March/April) the Koyas observe a festival called Bijja Pandu to worship their deity who bestows good and plentiful harvest. During the festival the men folk go hunting while the women perform the dance named after the festival. On other occasions both men and women participate in the dance which starts with slow steps and the rhythm builds up gradually with the tempo of the drum music. The women provide the beat with sticks fitted with jinglebells, while the men wearing turbans decorated with bison horns play the drums.

Chaiti Ghoda Nata

The fishermen community of Orissa, especially in the district of Ganjam, perform Chaiti Ghoda nata in a festival that lasts for about nine days beginning from the full moon day of the lunar month of Chaitra (April). It is a dummy horse dance. Similar dances are performed in other parts of the country, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan. The dummy-horse dance in Orissa is performed traditionally when the spring season is departing leading to the on set of summer. The fishermen community in Orissa is known as Keuta, derived from the Sanskrit word Kaivarta. The dance and the festival is closely associated and inspired by an Oriya puranic literature named Kaivarta Purana which tells the story behind the fishermen’s killing fish. The puranic story in brief is : The Supreme God slept on the leaf of a banyan tree that floated on the ocean of milk. To keep the leaf-bed steady someone is required to hold the rudder firmly. Therefore, he took some dirt from his ear and shaped a man. He breathed life into the man and asked him to hold the rudder firmly. Once while he was dozing, a gigantic fish came and swallowed up the man. When he did not find the man, the all-knowing God could realize the reason behind the disappearance of the man. He was angry. He caught the fish and pulled out the man from the stomach of the fish. The man was re-engaged in his duty. From that day man became one of the most vindictive enemy of fish. As ordained by God the first Kaivarta (fisherman) and his descendants earn their livelihood by catching fish. A part of the banyan leaf was transformed into a horse. The God ordered Vishwakarma, the celestial craftsman, to build a boat. Relieving the man from his duty of holding the rudder of the leaf-bed, he asked the man to cross the ocean in the boat with the horse. The divine horse died on the eighth day of the lunar month of Vaishakha. God consoled the man saying that the horse was the goddess named Basuli and her worship will bring him salvation. From that day the Kaivarta (Keuta in colloquial Oriya) community hold the festival in which goddess Basuli is worshipped and the dummy-horse dance is performed.

The festival in honor of goddess Basuli and the Chaiti Ghoda dance ends on the eighth day of Vaishakha. At times, a female dancer joins the man with the dummy horse. The accompanying music is provided by Dhol, the drum, and Mahuri, the reeded wind instrument like Shehnai.

In Rajasthan, several dances, such as, Gher, Gait Geedad, Duff Nach, Chang Nach, Dandia Gair, etc are performed to celebrate the spring season, particularly at the time of Holi festival.

Chhau

In Eastern India, in the States of Orissa, Bihar, and West Bengal, about a dozen differing styles of dance are prevalent under the generic name of Chhau. To differentiate one from the other, the name of the district where it is prevalent is prefixed. The three representative styles are called Mayurbhanj Chhau, prevalent in the Mayurbhanj district of Orissa; Seraikela Chhau, which is prevalent in Seraikela sub-division in Bihar; and Purulia Chhau, prevalent in Purulia district of West Bengal. The main difference among the various Chhau styles is in the use of masks. While some styles use mask, others do not. The Seraikela and Purulia styles of Chhau use masks. The Seraikela masks are more sophisticated and the Purulia masks are more theatrical. The Mayurbhanj Chhau does not use mask. The similarities among the varying styles of Chhau are

• Style of typical leg extensions are almost similar,

• All the Chhau dances are customarily performed as a part of Chaitra Parba, a festival held on the last day of the lunar month of Chaitra (March/ April)

• Musical instruments used are the same. They are : Dhol, the barrel shaped drum with two faces; Dhumsa or Dhak, a land of huge kettledrum; and Mahuri, the reeded wind instrument like Shehnai, but with a sharper timbre.

Because of the generous and enthusiastic patronage of the erstwhile princely states, the Mayurbhanj and Seraikela styles of Chhau are highly evolved and have all the desired elements of a classical dance. Purulia Chhau, although less evolved, is highly dramatic and the most vigorous of all styles of Chhau. In absence of clear evidences, there are differing opinions on the origin of Chhau dances. One that appears most reasonable is that they have evolved out of the martial crafts. The earliest number in the repertoire of Mayurbhanj Chhau is Ruk-maar-nacha which literally means the dance of attack and defense. Similarly, the base of Seraikela Chhau is Phari-Khanda Khela, meaning the play of sword and shield. Each number of Purulia Chhau culminates in a confrontation between two warriors. Two forms of folk dance still surviving in some of the remote villages in Orissa, which have leg extensions exactly like that of Chhau, are Paikali (check Game and Martial Dances Folk Dances) and Amdalia-Jamdalia Nacha in which the dancers decorate themselves with and dance holding small branches of mango and jamun (a kind of deeply purple colored plum) trees. In some of the numbers in these two forms of dance masks without eyeholes are used. Surely these two dances are the precursor of Chhau.

With masks the Seraikela Chhau takes fantasy to the summit of poetry, where beauty is distilled from a world of magnificent dreams; and Purulia Chhau vibrates with a theatricality that makes out myths palpable. Without mask the movements of Mayurbhanj Chhau become visual poetry of stormy passion gestured in a style that is free, intense, and affluent; a poem that is ablaze with Nature – her storms, her volcanoes, her rivers, and her lagoons.

Dalkhai

Ghumra

Gotipua

Counterparts of Bachcha Nagma are found in Orissa, Assam, and among the Tharu community of Uttar Pradesh. In Orissa the teenaged boys who perform the dance are called Gotipua. The Gotipua dance evolved around 17th century. In southern Orissa especially in the district of Ganjam, the dance is called Sakhi Nacha. The tradition evolved around 17th century. The temple dancers called Maharis could not get the enthusiastic patronage of royal court. As a result, their dancing started declining for lack of proper training in dance. The Raj-nartaki class of dancers who were dancing at the royal court and also for the public during festivals like Vasantotsava, also disappeared owing to lack of patronage, since the royal nobilities preferred more sensual dance of the courtesans called Baiji.

To cater to the general public the tradition of Gotipua evolved. During 17th and 18th century a number of talented Oriya poets wrote countless lyrics and poems suitable for singing, on the theme of the love between Radha and Krishna. Although lyrics were written in a simpler language, the poems are highly ornate. Generally, the Gotipua sing these songs and poems and present expressional numbers with highly stylized gestured acting (abhinaya). During the later part of 19th century and early decades of 20th century some kind of decadence crept into the Gotipua dance and it became more sensual than sensuous.

In the 1940s, when the Odissi dance was revived much was offered by the repertoire of the Gotipuas. Following the classicism of the revived Odissi dance, the Gotipuas discarded the decadent elements.At present, their dance has been much influenced by the revived Odissi dance. Musical accompaniment is provided by Mardala, a Pakhawaj like drum with two faces; Gini, small cymbals and Harmonium. The dancer sings the song which is repeated by guru and a supporting vocalist when the dancer elaborates on the meaning of the song or poem through gestured acting.

Hemant

In southern Orissa, the Paraja tribal community of Koraput district perform the autumn dance called Hemant. The autumn includes two seasons : Sharat, comprising two lunar months of Bhadrava and Ashwina and Hemanta comprising the next two lunar months of Kartik, and Margasheersa. Thus the autumn is spread over a period from the later part of August to the later part of November. The Hemant dance is performed on the festival called Nandi Parva that is held in November. It is also danced only by women. The accompanying songs are known as Nandi songs. Musical instruments used with this dance are : Dhol, Nishan, Tamak, and Mahuri, the reeded wind instrument.

Hero Parab

The nae of the festival is Hero Parab. It is held on the full moon night of the lunar month of Ashadh (June/July). Around this time the paddy fields are re-ploughed to get rid of the weeds. Ritual offerings are made to the divinities, namely, Desauli and Jaera. This festival is celebrated in the memory of Lita, the legendary hero. The legend of the Hos is : Lita is the youngest son of Surmi who was killed by the mythical wild animal called Bandu. Lita prayed the deity named Jaera. Pleased with the sincere prayer the deity gave blessings to Lita so that he can recover the dead body of his father from the claws of the ferocious animal. Lita showing exceptional bravery and determination recovered the body of his father from the wild animal. Therefore, Lita is regarded as an ideal son.

Koya

Mage Parab

Finally comes the Mage Parab, the most important festival of the Hos. It is held between December and February when the crops from every field have been harvested. Mage means mother and the festival is celebrated in the memory of the first mother of the human beings. In the evening of the festival day the Mage dance is performed by both men and women like all the dances discussed above. The musical instruments that accompany the dances are Dumarg (which is more commonly known as Maandar), a cylindrical drum with two faces, Dram, a hemispherical drum with one face like nagada, and bamboo flute.

Nom-jama

When the paddy grains ripen the Nom-jama festival is held. The ripe grains of paddy is taken and after parboiling are beaten flat. In Ho dialect it is called Taben, in Hindi it is called Chewda, which is given as offering to Sing-Bonga, the supreme deity of the Hos and also to the spirits of the ancestors on the leaves of SoSo (black nut) and Kusha grass. New rice is also cooked on this day. None take new rice before this day. The dance performed is named after the festival.

Paika Nacha

The word paika is derived from the Sanskrit word Padatika meaning the infantry, and hence the name of the dance battle  (paika) dance (nrutya). In olden days the powerful Ganga and Gajapati rulers of Odisha extended their territory from the river Ganges in the north to Godavari in the south with the help of a vast army of valiant Paikas. They were not in the regular pay-role of the army, but received huge land grants from the kings and the chieftains. They formed the rank of a peasant-militia. Though agriculture was their main occupation they used to keep themselves prepared by regular practice and training in war techniques. Several village-groups were under the command of a Dala Behera or group-commander. Most of the Paika villages of Odisha, spread all over the state have maintained the older tradition of Paika Akhada – the village gymnasium where young people assemble in the evening after the day’s work. Alongwith traditional physical exercises, they dance with sword and shield in hand to the accompaniment of the country-drum.

Paikali

Paikali dance which now survives in northern Orissa, especially in the districts of Mayrubhanj and Keonjhar, is a much stylized form of dance. It is marked for its leg extensions and stylized gaits which are very much similar to those of the widely known Chhau dances. Each of the Paikali dancers hold a sword in the right and a shield in the left hand. While dancing they also sing in a recitative style. They smear their bodies with a whitish kind of earth called Kaimati. A major segment of the dance is mock attack-and-defense called Ruk-maar-nacha which is the foundation of the Chhau dances. The orchestral music that accompanies Paikali is as rich as appealing. The orchestra consists of three kinds of drum, such as Dhol, a barrel shaped drum that dominates the music, Dhumsa, a huge kettledrum made of wood and Chadchadi, somewhat like snare drum. The melodic music is provided by Mahuri, a reeded wind instrument like Shehnai but with a sharper timber. The much evolved Chhau (see our Recreational Folk Dances) comprises the same musical instruments. Watching Paikali one will be convinced that it is the precursor of Chhau dances.

Puchi

Rasar-Kali

In Western Orissa, especially in the district of Sambalpur, a form of dance is prevalent by the name of Rasar-kali, which literally means a bud of aesthetic pleasure. It is very much similar to the autumnal dance named Dalkhai. The only difference is that the accompanying songs use the refrain of ‘rasar kali re’. Orissa has a high concentration of tribal communities. There are 62 different tribal communities constituting about 25% of the total population. Each of the tribes has a form of recreational dance. For instance, the Koya tribal community living in the Malkangiri region of Koraput district of southern Orissa, perform a festive dance that is named after the tribe.