Folk Art, Festivals, Monuments, Tourism & Saints of Chhattisgarh — CGPSC GS Paper IV Part 3
Weightage: Part 3 of GS Paper IV names folk arts and literature, folk songs and legends, music institutions, state awards, fairs and festivals, protected monuments, tourism sites, national parks and sanctuaries, and major saints. The Prelims Chhattisgarh section lists literature, music, dance, art and culture. Almost every item is a pairing, so this chapter is built on tables.
1. Performing arts
Folk dances. Match each dance with its community and occasion.
| Dance | Community and occasion | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Panthi | Satnami community; Guru Ghasidas Jayanti | Devotional, fast-paced, praising the Guru |
| Raut Nacha | Yadavs (Raut); after Diwali | Dancers in bright costume carry sticks and shields |
| Suwa | Women of tribal communities; around Diwali | Women dance around a parrot (suwa) figure in a basket |
| Karma | Gond, Baiga, Oraon and others; harvest and rainy season | Worship of the Karam deity, in a circle |
| Gaur | Maria of Bastar | Headgear of bison horns |
| Kaksar | Muria of Bastar | Linked to the worship of the Kaksar deity |
Music. Folk songs include Suwa, Karma and Gaura songs and the Bans geet of the Yadavs, sung to the long bamboo flute. Instruments include the dhol, nagara and mohri.
Pandavani is the narration of the Mahabharata in song and speech, with the narrator holding a tambura and often taking the role of Bhima. It has two styles, Vedamati and Kapalik. Teejan Bai, the best-known performer of the Kapalik style, has received the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan.
Nacha is the folk theatre of the plains. Habib Tanvir, born in Raipur, brought Nacha performers into his Naya Theatre, and his play Charandas Chor is the best-known result.
2. Crafts
- Dhokra: lost-wax bell-metal casting of Bastar and Raigarh, with figures of animals and deities. Several Bastar crafts have Geographical Indication recognition.
- Wrought iron and wood carving: Bastar's iron figures and carved wooden panels, doors and masks.
- Terracotta: clay horses and figures, especially of Kondagaon.
- Kosa silk: tussar silk woven in Champa (Janjgir-Champa) and Raigarh.
- Bamboo work: baskets, mats and furniture, associated with the Kamar and other communities.
- Godna painting: the tattoo motif on cloth and canvas, developed in Surguja.
3. Festivals and fairs
| Festival or fair | Where and when | Point to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Bastar Dussehra | Jagdalpur; about 75 days | Dedicated to Danteshwari; begins with Pata Jatra and ends with Muria Darbar; not linked to Ravana |
| Rajim Kumbh (Rajim Mela) | Rajim; Magh Purnima to Mahashivratri | Called the Kumbh of Chhattisgarh, at the Mahanadi-Pairi-Sondur meeting |
| Chakradhar Samaroh | Raigarh; around Ganesh Chaturthi, from 1985 | Music and dance festival in memory of Raja Chakradhar Singh |
| Sirpur Mahotsav | Sirpur; February | Heritage and cultural festival |
| Hareli | Shravan; July | Farmers worship their tools and cattle |
| Pola | Bhadrapada | Worship of bulls |
| Teeja | Bhadrapada | Women's fast, linked to Teej |
| Chherchhera | Pausha Purnima | Harvest festival where children go house to house for grain |
Fairs and festivals also mark the Madai of the Bastar region, the tribal Nawakhai first-fruit festival and the Bhoramdeo Mahotsav.
4. Monuments and sacred sites
| Site | District or area | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Sirpur | Mahasamund | Lakshmana temple (brick), Buddhist viharas, Shaiva temples |
| Rajim | Gariaband | Rajivalochana temple, associated with a Nala inscription |
| Ratanpur | Bilaspur | Mahamaya temple, Kalachuri capital |
| Bhoramdeo | Kabirdham | "Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh" |
| Tala | Bilaspur | Deorani and Jethani temples of about the sixth century, known for the Rudrashiva image |
| Malhar | Bilaspur | Ancient town with Hindu, Jain and Buddhist remains |
| Barsur | Dantewada | Mama-Bhanja temple, twin Shiva shrines of the Naga period |
| Dantewada | Dantewada | Danteshwari temple, a Shakti peeth and the clan deity of Bastar |
| Champaran | Raipur | Birthplace of Vallabhacharya |
| Sitabenga, Jogimara | Ramgarh, Surguja | Mauryan-period caves with Brahmi inscriptions |
5. Natural tourism
- Chitrakote Falls on the Indravati in Bastar, commonly called the Niagara of India.
- Tirathgarh Falls and the Kotumsar cave in the Kanger Valley National Park.
- Mainpat, a plateau hill station in Surguja, with a Tibetan settlement.
- Amritdhara Falls in Koriya, on the Hasdeo river.
- Barnawapara sanctuary and the tiger reserves described in the geography chapter.
6. Saints, music institutions and awards
Saints. Guru Ghasidas (Satnami), Kabir and his disciple Dharamdas (Kabirpanth), Vallabhacharya (Pushtimarg, born at Champaran), and Parashuram Bharadwaj (Ramnami Samaj) are the named figures. Swami Vivekananda spent two boyhood years in Raipur, and the Raipur airport is named after him.
Music institution. Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya at Khairagarh was founded in 1956 and is described as the first music and arts university in Asia.
Awards. The state honours (Guru Ghasidas, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh and Minimata Samman, along with others) are presented on the state's foundation day, 1 November.
Worked example 5.1 (an 8-mark answer, ~100 words). "Describe the folk performing arts of Chhattisgarh."
Model answer. Chhattisgarh has a rich tradition of folk dance, song and theatre. Among dances, the Panthi is performed by Satnamis in praise of Guru Ghasidas, the Raut Nacha by Yadavs after Diwali, the Suwa by women around a parrot figure, and the Karma by tribal communities in worship of the Karam deity.
Pandavani, the narration of the Mahabharata in Vedamati and Kapalik styles, was made famous by Teejan Bai. Nacha is the folk theatre of the plains, which Habib Tanvir took to a wider audience.
These forms link performance to festivals, agricultural seasons and community identity.
Common traps CGPSC sets here
- Linking Bastar Dussehra to the burning of Ravana. It honours Danteshwari, and the rituals are tribal.
- Placing Bhoramdeo in Bilaspur. It is in Kabirdham.
- Confusing Rajim with Sirpur. Rajim is in Gariaband and Sirpur in Mahasamund.
- Mixing up dance and community. Panthi is Satnami and Kaksar is Muria.
- Calling Pandavani a tribal dance. It is a narrative performance of the Mahabharata.
Memory aids
- "Panthi Satnami, Raut Yadav, Suwa women, Karma Gond": the four dances.
- "Pata Jatra to Muria Darbar": the two ends of Bastar Dussehra.
- "Sirpur, Rajim, Ratanpur, Bhoramdeo": the four heritage sites.
Summary
Chhattisgarh's arts pair each dance with a community and an occasion, and its Pandavani and Nacha carry the narrative tradition. Its crafts include Dhokra, wrought iron, Kosa silk and terracotta.
Festivals such as the 75-day Bastar Dussehra and the Rajim Kumbh, heritage sites from Sirpur to Barsur, and natural attractions such as Chitrakote and Kotumsar define its tourism. Guru Ghasidas, Kabir, Vallabhacharya and others are its named saints.
Exam protocol
- Give each dance with its community and occasion.
- Give each monument with its district and dynasty.
- Describe Bastar Dussehra as a tribal-goddess festival, not a Ravana festival.
