Cultures of Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh is famous for its cultural

heritage and the tribal living there.

Chhattisgarh is famous for the rich cultures of

Chhattisgarh amidst crusty cuisine, vivacious dances,

great religions, melodious music, kind people, amiable

languages, sparkling fairs & festivals and marvellous arts

& crafts. Its unique approach towards dance, cuisine, and

music which make it different from others.

Chhattisgarh is home to a number of types

of tribal in India.

It also has India's oldest tribal communities and the

earliest tribals have been living in Bastar for over 10,000

years. Since the time, the Aryans occupied the Indian

mainland and the rich plains became war-infested and

de-forested for agriculture.

The tribal dances represent the rich

cultures of Chhattisgarh.

Dances are the chief means of the celebration of

the tribals. These folk dances also represent the

community affairs, characterized by robustness and

earthiness.

The dance groups are mainly the group dances

which involve complex footwork. It is always

wonderful to watch the dancers moving are in a

line, gyrating in a circle, always in the anti-clock

direction.

The Maria Tribes are the most spectacular dances. The

men lace a strip of cloth round their torso, wear head-

dresses of peacock and cock feathers, and tie bells

around their wrists and ankles. Some also wear stag

and bison horns on the head. In all the dance forms,

singing is important.

In case of Bison-horn Marias, the boys and girls dance in

separate sub-groups, with the steps of girls being simpler.

Drum-beats are central to the dance. In case of Hill-Marias,

the group is often mixed with a girl between two boys. The

men wear heavy buttock-bells.

During the festivals and celebrations, the cultures of

Chhattisgarh can be easily reflected through their

dressings and the special accessories.

The men and the women wear ornaments. The

ornaments are made of beads (made from bones, seeds,

wood) worn as laces, ropes, fillets and collars. Earlier

the armlets were made of iron, brass and copper wires,

but today silver and gold are used.

Gold is worn mainly on the ear, nose and neck (men wear gold

collars to indicate their standing in the village) instead of

wearing them on hands and legs. Silver is worn on the neck (as

a hoop); on the wrist (as a loose, hollow, twisted tubular

bracelet); on the legs (as a solid, square-bar anklet, arched

below the ankle-bones).Conical twin-tops are common in the

nostrils and ear lobes. Rings are worn on the helix of the ear.

Red and green coloured precious stones are preferred which

are famous for their bright colours.

The men and the women of the Hill-Maria Tribe still

use tassels of red wool. Cockfights are a favourite

sport of the tribal here. The males of the region make

a crowd in the region on Sundays, in shady areas

under the trees.

For More Information:

http://sanskritikchhattisgarh.in/