Madhya Pradesh: Means Business

Tourism
 Fairs and Festivals of
Madhya Pradesh
• The adivasis of MP have a zest for life
that can be observed from the
countless tribal fairs and festivals
celebrated every year. Clad in their
colourful best with loads of jewellery,
flowers and fancy headgear, men
and women set out days in advance
to reach the site of the fair or
festival. Let’s check out some of
them.
• Madai Festival
One of the unique attractions of Bastar is the Madai
festival held in the different villages extending from
Mandla to Bastar. It is especially dear to the Gonds
who come from far off places to meet their kith and
kin and to purchase a year’s supply of items like salt
and cooking oil.
• Though the Madai is organized in many villages, the
most renowned Madai is that of Narayanpur in Bastar.
Held in the third or fourth week of February, it is a day
of great religious importance. Devotees gather under
the shade of a sacred tree to sacrifice a goat to the
mother goddess. Amidst much singing, beating of
drums and bells, the goat is slaughtered and then
taken round the entire village. The night is spent in
dancing, eating and making merry
• ¤ Bhagoriya Festival
Ever heard of a festival where you are officially
allowed to elope with your lover? Check this
one out, guys. Held in the Jhabua district, the
Bhagoriya is to the Bhils what the Madai is to
the Gonds – a festival of fun and joy.
It is held a week before the Hindu festival of
colours, Holi. Men and women celebrate it with
ritual dancing to the beat of drums and thalis
and the sweet melody of shehnai and bansuri
(flutes). Bhagoradev or the god of dance is
worshipped on this occasion. The most
respected village elder presides over the
ceremony and offers sweetmeats to the god.
•
The festival is special for Bhils
because it could well mean love,
romance and even marriage. Young
men go around applying gulal (red
coloured powder used to play Holi
with) to the girls they like. If a girl
reciprocates the sentiment then she
too applies gulal in return and that is
all the permission a young man
needs to marry her. Even the mutual
exchange of pan or betel leaf is a
• ¤ Dusshera of Bastar

The Dusshera of Jagdalpur is said to

be quite a celebration. Held annually
in the months of October-November,
the venue for this one is Jagdalpur in
Bastar.
•
¤ Karma
The festival of Karma,a religious
festival, calls for a huge celebration
every year among the Korba tribals of
MP. On the day of worship, devotees
fast from morning till the next day – a
good 24 hours. A branch from the
Karam tree is planted in the middle of
an open ground and the night is spent
singing and dancing around it.
• ¤ The Fair of Nagaji
This fair or mela is a way of
remembering and paying respect to
Saint Nagaji who lived at the time of
Emperor Akbar, nearly 400 years ago.
Tribals flock to Porsa village in Murena
district every winter (November-
December) and make merry for as long
as a month. Earlier monkeys were sold
at this fair, but now domestic animals
top the charts.
•
¤ Dance & Mucic
Can there ever be a tribal community
without a rich tradition of dance and music?
The adivasis of MP are no exception. Musical
instruments like the tabla, dholak, thali and
bansuri are commonly used as
accompaniment to song and dance.
Colourful costumes, chunky ornaments and
stunningly bright headgear are vital to all
their dances. Sometimes ghungroos and
tiny tinkling bells are tied to the body to add
that extra magic.
 Religion and Culture of
Madhya Pradesh
• ¤ People
A large segment – almost 40 percent - of Madhya Pradesh’s
population is tribal. Its four agro-climatic zones have
resulted in a most interesting mix of peoples and lifestyles.
There are three distinct tribal groups; the largest chunk
being that of the Gonds, who once ruled most of the state
and after whom Gondwana, the central portion of the state,
is named. Western Madhya Pradesh is inhabited by the
Bhils, a colourful group of warriors and hunters.
The eastern side of the state is dominated by the Oraons,
most of whom have now converted to Christainity.
Population is pretty sparse in the tribal areas as the terrain
is hilly and difficult. This poses a big problem as far as
communications, transport and medical facilities are
concerned. Despite the efforts of the government benefits
from development programs have been slow to accrue.
• What is interesting, however, is that the
tribals have managed to retain their
ethnic identity, customs and rituals
despite modernization – this is largely
thanks to successive governments that
have been extremely sensitive in their
dealings with them.
Madhya Pradesh is home to some of
India’s leading luminaries like the
present prime minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, thespian Habib Tanvir, noted
sarod player Amjad Ali Khan, the
nightingale of India Lata Mangeshkar
and the painter Maqbool Fida Hussain.
•
¤ Religion

Most of the people in Madhya

Pradesh are Hindus. There are,
however, sizeable minorities of
Muslims, Jains, Christians and
Buddhists. There is also a small Sikh
population
• ¤ Rituals
• Committing Jauhar-- Mass Self Immolation
Apart from the usual rituals related to birth, marriage and
death, MP saw the practice of jauhar under the rule of the
Tomara dynasty.
The Rajputs were fanatical about guarding the honour of
their women.
The mere thought of the women falling prey to the lust of
invading Muslims was worse than death. The sombre
custom of jauhar was born out of this fear.
It was a ritual of mass suicide performed by the women and
girls of the royal household in anticipation of capture and
humiliation. When defeat in battle became imminent, the
women would immolate themselves in a huge fire kept
burning in a subterranean chamber. The remaining men,
clad in saffron robes, would then fling themselves at the
enemy in one last, desperate charge. The Jauhar Tank in
Gwalior Fort witnessed such a ritual when the fort fell to
Altamish (or Iltutmish).
• Language
Hindi is the main and the official -
language of Madhya Pradesh.
Dialects of the language, such as
Bundelkhandi, Malwi and
Chattisgarhi, are spoken all over the
state. Urdu, Marathi, Sindhi, and
Gujarati are also commonly spoken
here thanks to the mix of people.
• Festivals
Apart from religious festivals, Madhya
Pradesh has many other festivals that
are of a secular nature. Depending on
your interests you can enjoy Indian
classical dance and music, folk dance
and music, literary programs, theatre
and even traditional theatre forms like
Ramleela, based on the Ramayana. In
fact some of these festivals, like the
Khajuraho Dance Festival, are so
famous round the world that people
come here especially to see them.