Address:
AHMEDABAD HAAT VASTRAPUR AHMEDABAD, AHMADABAD ,GUJARAT - 380015
About type of art
Part 1 General Information
1. Name of TRI TRI, Gujarat
2. Name of Officer In charge for cultural mapping project with mobile no
Dr.Tejalben Adhvaryu, Research Assistant Mobile No.9427313765
Part 2 Specific Information Select the relevant section and fill out accordingly
A. Tribal Dance Forms
Name of Tribal Dance Talwar Dance
Name of Tribe Bhil
Name of Performers with mobile Numbers Mr. Kalsinh Bhabhor Team Leader, Mobile No.9909456350
Meaning Significance
During Historical antiquity bhil tribal people lived as kings, maharajas and monarchical style in the jungles. Based on Economically point of view their life was simple and ordinary but their religious beliefs, cultural practices and a unique art of living was quite important. The Bhil tribe has always inherited traditional cultural diversity and arts and crafts from generation to generation. Traditional running cultural diversity art-heritage, celebration of religious customs, social events, markets, fairs etc. festivals have been celebrated with their traditional manners. This art-Inheritance is innate i.e. automatically passed from generation to generation. It is a natural gift. Hence similarly, the traditional dance of the tribe is also an integral part of their life. There are many occasions of happiness and joy for the Bhil tribe who live an ordinary life. Celebrating these occasions with great joy and joy in their difficult life, their dance is an important means for getting joy and happiness.
This is a traditional dance form of the Bhil tribe of Panchmahal, Dahod and Mahisagar districts. Traditional weapons and cultural art-heritage have been an integral part of their life since ancient times. They have a unique art of dancing with traditional weapons on the occasions of happiness and joy of their life. Talwar Dance Traditional Bhil Dance is a means of displaying the bravery, chivalry and diverse culture of the Bhil caste. Men and women perform sword dances with different 07 types of chala tapes with costumes and vajintras instruments. In this dance, men keep a sword in their hands and women keep a handkerchief in their hands. A sword in the hands of men is a symbol of chivalry and valor, while a handkerchief in the hands of women is a symbol of cultural diversity. So this dance is showcases art and culture with a combination of valor, chivalry and cultural diversity.
There are 07 different types of chalas steps in sword dance. All of them have a unique identity. Like First Chalo, Second Chalo, Third Chalo, Dharvo, Ghasvo, Vavli etc. Among these, Ghasvo is the sword fighting chala. A performer of this dance always bowsfor their clan goddess first and then performs the swordsman's chala or ghasvo dance. Their trust behind it is that in sword fighting May Mother Bhavani protect them so there will no hindrance for dancing and the actors can perform swordplay very well. Similarly, there is a religious belief behind the rhythm and rhythm of the traditional musical instruments or vanjitras played in the sword dance. So the musicians always play by remembering their idol, their Kuldevi. In short the traditional art-culture of the Bhil tribe .In its unique heritage, dance is an art-culture vision combining traditional religious, cultural and chivalry.
Performance Context When is the dance performed Festivals, rituals, etc.
Generally people of Bhil tribe perform sword dance Bhil dance on all occasions to show their happiness, joy and festivity. Besides, the Bhil tribe people perform this dance in celebration of various types of fairs, festivals that occur throughout the year. Especially all the tribal people always perform their traditional dances on their wedding ceremonies. Similarly, people of Bhil tribe have always performed this dance at their weddings.
Various types of traditional sub-events are celebrated in Bhil marriages. These dances are performed according to these sub-occasions. This dance is usually performed by men and women together for 5 days and nights at the house of bride or groom . They start to perform this dance from around 10 pm. In order to dance in this dance form, all the men and women among which marriage takes place voluntarily perform this dance. This dance performed between from 2 to 3 am. Usually this whole dance program perform for 4 to 5 hours. Sword dance is danced according to different types of steps chala. Similarly, when there is a fair, people dance at their homes at a particular place in the village predecided place when they perform this dance. So the complete preparations are doneto attend the fair are done through this dance. After reaching the place of fair, dancing is done. Many such dance troupes gather at the fair and the entire troupes dance at different places. Traditionally, the quality of the dance is determined by the different actions steps in the dance and the costume and jewellery and dance instruments of the dancer. Thus, when this dance is performed in fairs, the dance troupes dance in a slightly different manner than the dances performed at wedding ceremonies, but the basic steps of this dance remain similar its brilliance. Fencing is not usually performed in fairs. Which happens only at wedding occasions. Also during the festival of Diwali after worshiping the deities family members performs dance and happily enjoy this dance. This dance is also performed during the festival of Holi at the time of lighting the Holi, during the Holi procession and on the second day of Holi. So this dance is also very important in the celebration of Holi festival. Along with this prevailing times, when there is an occasion of joy in a family, young men and women perform this dance. Religious beliefs hold great importance in the tradition of Bhil tribes. Whenever distressing or painful occasion arises in a family, they always keeps votive offering of the gods dev. There is a certain type of their traditional faith in those votive offerings, beliefs. Accordingly, if they succeed in it, this occasion proves to be an occasion of happiness for them and they visit to their traditional devasthanams and perform programs according to their beliefs. Offers a parsadam bhog to god. In that too, they go to the shrines and perform this dance. At that time, this dance is considered a part of the worship to be performed to please their adorable gods, thus, this dance has an important place in the religious beliefs and de-fide among tribal Bhil tribes. In short, this dance is performed by the Bhil tribe people during weddings, rejoicing and celebration of festivals and fairs, their traditional, religious rituals.
Costumes and Jewellery Among the Bhil tribes, the costume and ornaments of their men and women are fixed according to their tradition. Generally these costume dress and ornaments are not worn by them every day but on their occasions of joy. Even as the tribals live a laborious life, they cannot wear ornaments or new clothes every day. Accordingly, for the occasion of celebration they wear new clothes, new ornaments and dance to express their joy.
Bhil men and women, juvenile men and women traditionally wear their prescribed dress, ornaments. Their fondness for wearing traditional dress and ornaments while performing this dance is still intact today. Bhil men wear a white fanto turban. It is not a readymade turban available in the market but a turban tied on the head according to a special pattern in its own traditional way. Usually for turbanis used white cotton cloth. The way it is constructed is very artistic and unique. Men always tie a sling over the turban and the white turban and the sling over it form a unique design. Such artistic turban adorns the heads of Bhil men. There is always blue and black vest on the body. Which is always made of cotton cloth and cotton cloth is traditionally embroidered with white thread. A white dhoti loincloth is worn around the waist. Their way of wearing dhoti indicates the social status of men. As married and unmarried men can be identified by the way they wear dhoti. Men wear traditional brass anklets and boots while dancing. As far as mens ornaments are concerned, silver ornaments have been in vogue among the Bhil tribes since time immemorial. He wears silver markis rings in his ears, silver bhoriyas wristlet bracelet in both hands and a silver waist band around his waist. Which is worn like a waist belt worn by modern people. Traditionally men wear a silver chain along with the button of their black or blue vest and keep the vest open all the time the vest buttons are not closed. The above is the dress code of the Bhil tribe men while dancing. Similarly, women always wear red-white and blue colour combination dresses while dancing, which is traditionally their dance dress code. The pattern of veil over the head is always red in colour with blue or black designs. Similarly, the designs of traditional long skirt Ghagharas are also very distinguistic & special. The first priority that is to cover the entire body. If we look at their ornaments, women wear a silver ornament on their forehead instead of anoint which is called Bhili language a Bor, Vedla. She wears a silver 4 to 5 layers necklace chain and silver hansdi clavicle ornament are worn around the neck and bangles with traditional designs are worn on the hands. kadala anklets made of Kathirs metal alloy of tin and lead, zinc worn by them as around feets , nowadays their custom of wearing such kathir anklets is extinct. Instead they wear a silver streamlet attached with jingling bells. All these ornaments and costumes are easily available in urban markets of Bhil tribal areas i.e. Dahod, Panchmahal and Mahisagar districts. But the traditional jewellery designs, dress designs and colours have changed to some extent in the prevailing time but the way of wearing this dress, the way of wearing the jewellery is still the same as it is from ancient times. People buy according to the quality of jewellery and clothes according to their economic situation.
Among the Bhil tribes, men and women traditionally have fixed colours of their dress. It usually showcase tinge of natural colours. Such as red and black colour combination, blue and white colour combination, black and white colour combination which to a large extent resembles to the colour of flowers plants available around them. Designs traditionally found in mens and womens wear also have a splash of natural designs. As such, dresses with different types of floral designs are the traditional attire of the Bhil tribes. Also, the designs of different types of flowers, shapes of plants available around their residence, especially in their area, are seen in the clothes of these tribes. So it is clear that the life of tribals is not only socially but also culturally aliened with nature. Because all their clothes even have natural colours and designs. Thus similarly, natural designs have also been inscribed in the ornaments of the Bhil tribes since ancient times. Most of the ornaments for men and women have the engraved shapes of wild animals and domestic animals. Example,. The bhoriyan silver thick wrist bandana worn on the hands of the men is a lion artefact, the hansdi clavicle ornament worn on the neck of the women is of the deershaped form. The ornament worn on the hand is artefact in the shape of a tortoise. If you look at it that way, the design, colour of the dress of Bhil tribes is organic. Along with that, all their ornaments both male and female are engraved in the shape of various animals.
Bhil tribes always dance in various occasions like wedding, fairs, traditional religious ceremonies, according to ancient scriptures wears traditional new clothes, ornaments.
Music and Instruments
The music of the instruments played in the traditional dance of the Bhil tribe always produces a natural music. Usually the music resembles of flowing streams, whispering of the wind etc. The music produced by their traditional rythematical instruments plays an important role in that dance. Dancers cannot perform a rhythmic dance unless the not a much music of the instruments in this dance is clearly played. That is why the importance of instruments is greater in dances. Dances are measured based on the ability and quality of music produced by these instruments. So the combination of both the instrumental group and the dancing group in the dance is important in displaying the special artistic and unique joy in this dance.
Traditional and simple sword dance of Bhil tribe has total 4 instruments.
1. Drum tambour 2. Harp kundi 3. Percussion thali gong bell instrument 4. Clarinet Indian shehnai type two
Traditionally, in sword dance, the music produced by the harmony of the above four types of instruments enlivens atmosphere full of cultural rich vibrations. Drum tambour is main instrument. These drum tambours are made from the wood of a special type of tree. Especially from neem and mango tree. The percussion plate is made of brass while the harp kundi is a semi-circular part of baked clay i.e. earthenware and both the clarinets have special engravings made of brass. Bhil tribal people perform the fabrication work of drum tambourine. The work of applying leather on it is done by the people working in the leather industry, but most of the time the work of preparing the dhol drum tambourine is done by the people of the Bhil tribe themselves. While they clarinet from the market. Although the traditional instruments of this dance are generally made of very simple technology and can be repaired by ordinary people, the music produced from them of special kind and unique. This music is very different from the music of modern instruments which is found in prevailing times.