Ghumura

Understand

Where Ghumura comes from

Ghumura is a folk dance of the Kalahandi district of western Odisha (the historic Kalahandi / Patna State under the Bhanja dynasty). The dance takes its name from the ghumura drum — a folk drum of the region — and is documented as having evolved from the war-music traditions of the Kalinga empire, with mythological associations tracing it to a combination of Lord Shiva's damaru and Saraswati's veena. The dance has been preserved by the communities of Kalahandi and the surrounding districts of Bhawanipatna for many generations and was a defining mark of the region until its modernisation. Today Ghumura is performed at all major festivals of Kalahandi and of western Odisha generally, and is a defining identity-marker for the people of the Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput (KBK) region.

How it's practiced

Ghumura is performed by groups of men (and increasingly women) in colourful tribal-traditional costume — the female partners wearing bright ghagra-choli and heavy silver jewellery. The dance is vigorous and acrobatic, with partners in opposite rows performing coordinated leaps, twirls and arm-raises to the heavy beats of the ghumura drum and the dholak. The choreography includes the characteristic 'jump-and-spin' sequences and is known for the energy and skill of the male dancers' leaps. Music is centred on the ghumura drum itself, with a smaller dholak and the shehnai for support. Costume is the bright regional dress of Kalahandi with the orange and red turbans and the mirror-worked fabric.