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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

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