Deodhani

Understand

Where Deodhani comes from

Deodhani is a Shaman folk-dance of Assam, of Bodo-Kachari origin, in which a woman functions as the vessel of a deity in performance. The name combines Deo (god) and Dhani (woman), literally 'woman possessed by god'. A male equivalent (Deodhai / Deodha-Joki) is also documented in Assam and is performed in the Kamrup region. Deodhani is associated with the worship of the snake-goddess Marai / Maroi, with Mahamaya and with the Kherai and Marai Puja of the Bodo and Kocha communities. The performance is mediated by an Ojha (a traditional chorus leader) and the songs — the Xuknoni in the undivided Darrang district and the Bor-Dhol songs in the Kamrup district. The form is recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi as one of the living folk-art traditions of the NE region of India.

How it's practiced

Deodhani is performed by a solo or small group (3-4) of women who take the role of the Shaman vessel of the deity. The dancers carry a sword and a shield, presenting a virile war-dance before the chorus of the Ojha and the accompanist musicians. The dance includes the act of possession — the dancer entering the trance state of the deity — followed by the war-like dance of the deity-mantle. The accompanying music is the dhol (particularly the Kamrupi Bor-Dhol), the taal and the chorus songs of the Ojha. Costume is the simple white dhoti and the chador of the medium (over which the deity-mantle is thrown), with the sword and the shield of the warrior-stage of the deity. The dance is performed at the Marai Puja and the Kherai of the Bodo-Kachari communities and at the regional cultural programmes.