Gaur Dance

Understand

Where Gaur Dance comes from

Gaur (or Gaur-Maria) is a festival dance of the Gond and Maria tribal communities of the Bastar and Dindori districts of Madhya Pradesh (and adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh). The dance is performed at the time of marriages and at the harvest festivals (particularly the festival of Diwali and the regional Pola). The name 'Gaur' refers to the fair-coloured complexion traditionally associated with the goddess Gauri (or to the Gaur Maria community). The form is one of the most photographed folk dances of central India, with its distinctive men's horizontal headdress (the phenta) being a widely recognised visual signature of Bastar tribal performance.

How it's practiced

Gaur dance is performed by men and women of the Gond / Maria community in a long line or open formation, accompanied by the dhol and mandal drums and the flute. Dancers move with vigorous footwork and a characteristic torso-sway, with the men wearing the phenta (a long horizontal feather-and-flower headdress) and the women in colourful saris with heavy silver jewellery. The dance is performed at weddings, at the Pola harvest festival and at community gatherings. The dance is widely photographed and is one of the most recognised visual markers of the Bastar region.