Author: Bastariya

These tribes are found mainly in Adhar and Chintgarh areas of Bastar. They are courageous and known for their bravery. They are appointed to take care of the King’s palace. In terms of social hierarchy, they rank second only after elite Bhatra tribals. The cloth wearing style of Dhurvaa ladies, their hair style, tattoo mark, metal anklets on their foot distinguish them from others. This tribe had given birth to a famous warrior Gunndadhur who led the tribal mutiny in 1910. People belonging to Parja Tribe in Bastar, that locally mean the public, are considered as a sub tribe of Dhurba tribe.…

They are mainly farmers. These tribes are found not only in Bastar but they are also spread in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra. They speak Halbi dialect. Halbi was the language the king of Bastar used to speak. The dialects pronounced are having traces of Odia, Marathi and Chhattisgarahi languages. Halbas of Bastar believe that their ancestors came from Warangal with Raja Anam Dev. It seems, the origin of the word Halba is from the word Hal, which means plough. One who bears hal (plough) is known as Halba. Legend As per another legend, Goddess Parvati came to visit her people. She noticed…

These tribes are located in Bastar and borders of Odisha. Their settlements made of wall houses and boundary made by clay is unique. They are ranked first in terms of social hierarchy. Their origin is still a mystery. They are an advanced tribe in Bastar. They are much advanced in way of thinking, furnishing houses, and cultural performance like drama etc. According to legend, they are the few, who went with king purushottam Dev to Jaggannath puri and returned with him. As they returned the king gave them sacred thread as a special honor, while giving the thread, the king addressed them “Bhadr”(civilized)…

Abuj Marias are inhabitants of abujjmad area of Naryanpur. They are known as hill Marias. The areas inhabited by the Abuj Maria tribals, are a dense forest area that sprawls across nearly 1500 miles of lush greenery. They live in isolation and inhabit secluded enclaves of Bastar. They are a primitive race whose mannerisms are rather ferocious. It is said that the Abhuj Marias shoot down the strangers with their arrows and so are feared by the outsiders. They are hardly tempted by the material pleasures of life. They are at times hostile of strangers. They still follow their age old practice of…

Some of the Bastar drinks are as under: Mahua The Mahua drink is having special socio-religious importance in folk culture of Bastar. This is unique in the traditional culture of Bastar. In a local market, one can enjoy the group (all sitting together) drinking style of Mahua drink, in a cup like structure made of leaves (Known as chipdi in local language). Salphi The Salphi of Bastar is a local drink prepared from sap of Salphi tree. The tribes use the same on various occasions. This is more prevalent in Bijapur and Dantewada areas of Bastar. Handia This drink is made by fermented rice.…

The ants are captured and crushed in a pestle and mortar with chilli, ginger and salt. They grind them into a paste to make chutney known as chapura. The bodies of ants contain formic acid believed to make useful medicinal qualities. People of the area believe that this cures malaria and dengue and quite useful for a person suffering from fever. people say that if there is normal fever, they go to the forest, sit under a tree so that red ant can bite them and the fever will be cured. Some also use Tomatoes, green coriander and red chillies, to prepare…

This tribal community has the custom of wearing a distinctive head gear which resembles the horns of a wild bison. They generally wear the head gear (the peculiar crown decorated with the horns of Bison) which the male members are during tribal ceremonies and dance. The groups among them, who left the hills and inhabited in plain areas of Bastar, Bijapur, and Dantewada are known as Dandami Marias. Their religion belief is a combination of Hinduism with Animistic beliefs. They worship varied god. The clan Gods, which are supposedly territorial are housed on Boarder of every village so as to protect…

The word Madia originated from the word Mad of Gondi dialect, which means the Hill. Therefore, Madia means the people who live in the hills. In the mountains of Abujhmad, spread over Narayanpur, Bijapur and Dantewada, live the Maria tribes of Bastar. They are the largest group of tribes in Bastar. They have a coppery complexion, with straight black hair, wide mouth and thick lips. The women are graceful, light in complexion and pretty and they wear exotic jewellery, most of it handmade necklaces made of cane, grass and beads. The woman enjoy,  considerable amount of freedom. Both boys and girls are…

this festival is observed after the end of the rainy season when the forests and waterfalls are at their best. large number of tribal groups from remote villages participate in the festival. This is a fortnight long tourism event. It showcases the best of Bastar. It coincides with Bastar Dussehra. Large number of Handicraft items are exhibited in the Bastar Lokotsav. As it is the festival of the folk people it starts with an array of cultural events. The jagdalpur area organizes a Bastar parab, in which varieties of songs and dances of the tribal communities are seen. This is a platform in which. the…

This festival coincides with the Raksha Bandhan festival during July-August. The celebration, of the festival begins on the 9th day after Shravan Amavasya. This ninth day is referred as the  Kagri Navami, the festival continues till Kajri Purnima or full moon day. It is the time, to give farewell to monsoons and start preparation for the fresh harvest. The religious minded people seek the blessings of Goddess Bhagwati to have better crop. The rituals related to these festivals are performed only by woman, Who are blessed with a son. On the day of Shravan Shukla Navmi, the woman folk go to the…

In this festival giving and accepting paddy/part of the harvest and other materials are treated as a part of culture by small and big, rich and poor. They feel proud to be a part of it. In this festival kids of different tribes, with humming/singing in local language, visit each home and collect raw edibles like rice, fruits and whatever one can give. No one returns empty handed from anybody’s house. This was the culture of old Satya Yug, the custom which still prevails in this area. This is the only festival in the world, where begging to and from each…

In the Bastanar valley, one can observe greenery everywhere and in all sides, in terms of farms, fields, forests, meadows and plantations. This is the heartthrob of Bastar and Dantewada. On one side, there are serpentine roads and on the other side, there are mountains filled with clouds. It is a lifetime experience.