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2.13 Festival and<br />
worship<br />
2.14 Entertainment<br />
(art, dance and music)<br />
Each of these Bastar tribes worships<br />
different forms of gods and goddesses.<br />
According to the ancient legend,<br />
Goddess Sati committed self-immolation<br />
in the fire pit of yagna kund, due to an<br />
insult committed by her father Daksha<br />
towards her consort Lord Shiva during<br />
the Yaga. Raged by the death of Sati,<br />
Lord Shiva destroyed the Yaga of Daksha<br />
and with the body of Sati in his hands<br />
started doing the Taandav. Lord Vishnu<br />
cut the dead body of Goddess Sati with<br />
his Sudarshan to free Lord Shiva from<br />
the grief caused by her death. Parts of the<br />
dead body of Goddess Sati were scattered<br />
to fifty-two different places, which were<br />
consecrated as Shaktipithas. It is believed<br />
that a tooth of Sati had fallen here and<br />
Danteswari Shaktipith was established.<br />
Danteswari is the state Goddess of Bastar<br />
and is often depicted riding an elephant.<br />
These Bastar tribes are also known for<br />
their colourful festivals and magnificent<br />
arts and crafts. Bastar Dussehra is the<br />
most famous event of this area and is<br />
well known for its grand celebration. All<br />
the tribes participate in this 10-day event<br />
and celebrate Dussehra as a congregation<br />
of Devi Maoli who is Bastar’s native deity<br />
and revered as the elder sister of Devi<br />
Danteswari and all her sisters.<br />
During Dussehra, the inhabitants<br />
of Bastar organize special worship<br />
ceremonies at the Danteswari temple of<br />
Jagdalpur.<br />
The tribals’ economy is agricultural, so<br />
the cycle of sowing and harvesting is<br />
the subject of many number of songs<br />
and oral narratives, which express<br />
the joy, anguish, apprehension and<br />
exhilaration of the farming community.<br />
Oral narratives like the Gondwani and<br />
Ramayani hold the community together.<br />
The bulk of the folk songs of Bastar<br />
are in Halbi. Of the settlers, among<br />
those who have felt inspired to employ<br />
local tongues for creative writing, an<br />
overwhelming majority has done so<br />
in Halbi. Chhattisgarh takes pride in<br />
several indigenous dance styles such<br />
as the panthi, rawat nacha, pandwani,<br />
chaitra, kaksar, saila, khamb-swang,<br />
bhatra naat, rahas, raai, maao-pata and<br />
soowa. Karma dance form is usually<br />
performed by tribal groups like<br />
Gonds, the Baigas and Oraons<br />
in Chhattisgarh. This dance<br />
form marks the end of<br />
rainy season and the<br />
advent of spring.<br />
Chhattisgarh’s film<br />
industry is called<br />
Chhollywood.<br />
Every year, many<br />
Chhattisgarhi<br />
films are<br />
produced by<br />
local producers.<br />
Theatre is<br />
known as<br />
gammat in<br />
Chhattisgarh.<br />
Fig. 2.14 A bronze<br />
dokra sculpture of<br />
goddess Danteshwari,<br />
who is usually depicted<br />
riding an elephant<br />
Source: https://www.<br />
zacke.at/en/collection/<br />
Fig. 2.14<br />
51