Panthi

Understand

Where Panthi comes from

Panthi is one of the most distinctive folk dances of Chhattisgarh, performed by the Satnami community of the Durg, Bemetara, Bilaspur and Raipur districts. The dance takes its name from the Sarth Satnami Panth (the Satnam sect's path), whose founder Guru Ghasidas (1716-1816) taught equality of all castes and the rejection of untouchability. The dance is particularly associated with the celebration of the religious narratives of Ghasidas and with the annual Maghi Punam festival at Chhattisgarh's Bhilai and Durg. The Panthi has been preserved by the Satnami community across generations as a community-identity dance. Today it is performed at state cultural programmes and at the weddings of the Satnami community, retaining its religious-cum-socio-character.

How it's practiced

Panthi is performed by groups of men in their traditional dress, dancing in lines or circles to the dhol and the nagara. The dance has a religious-cum-narrative character — the leader of the troupe sings the Satnami-Panthi verses (a devotional song-cycle of the Satnam tradition) while the dancers respond with movements. Steps include vigorous footwork, handclaps and small jumps, with the men swaying their bodies in coordinated patterns. Costume is the everyday Satnami dress — the white dhoti and kurta, often with the saffron head-cloth. Performances are held at the religious festivals of the Satnami community and at cultural programmes of Chhattisgarh.