Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Himachal Pradesh

Arts

Dance

The Demon (Rakshasa) dance or Chhambha

Kinnaur dancers These dances from the Kinnaur area are reminiscent of the pre-historic period. The Kinnaur folk are compared to playful deer.

This dance form is performed with demon masks numbering three, five, seven or nine. It depicts the attack of the demons on the crops and their ritual chasing away by the forces of good.

'Chhambha' is similar to the Punjabi dance Bhangra. Dressed in their demon costumes and masks, the dancers look quite awesome. These dances are arranged in areas which have a dense population. During local festivals like Chaitol and Bishu, community dancing can be seen. In these men and women hold hands and dance. The leader is known as 'Ghure' and the rest follow in his footsteps. In some areas men and women dance separately.