Chholiya (or Chhaliya;
Kumaoni: ) or Hudkeli (or Hudke; ) is a traditional folk dance form originated in the
Kumaon Kumaon or Kumaun may refer to:
* Kumaon division, a region in Uttarakhand, India
* Kumaon Kingdom, a former country in Uttarakhand, India
* Kumaon, Iran, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran
* , a ship of the Royal Indian Navy during WWII
See also
...
division of the
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
state of
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
and
Sudurpashchim
Sudurpashchim Province ( ne, सुदूरपश्चिम प्रदेश, ''Sudurpashchim Province'') (''Far-West Province'') is one of the seven Provinces of Nepal, provinces established by the Constitution of Nepal, new constitution o ...
province of Nepal. It has today become a symbol of Kumaoni and Sudurpashchimi (mainly in
Doti
Doti ( ne, डोटी), also known as Doti region, Dotigarh (डोटीगढ़) as used in the Jagar (folk tales; जागर), in the Farwestern region of Nepal (Sudurpashchim Province), is a region situated between River Kali bordering ...
,
Baitadi
Khalanga or Baitadi Khalanga is a town and seat of Baitadi District in the Sudurpashchim Province of western Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census
The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau ...
and
Darchula
Khalanga (also called Darchula) is a town and the district headquarters of the Darchula District in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal. It is part of the Mahakali Municipality in the Mahakali Zone. The town is located on the bank of Mahakali ...
districts) cultures. It is basically a
sword dance
Sword dances are recorded throughout world history. There are various traditions of solo and mock-battle (Pyrrhic) sword dances from Africa, Asia and Europe.
General types of sword dance include:
*solo dancers around swords – such as t ...
accompanying a marriage procession but now it is performed on many auspicious occasions.
It is especially popular in the districts of
Almora
Almora ( Kumaoni: ''Almāḍ'') is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the ...
,
Bageshwar
Bageshwar ( Kumaoni: ''Bāgshyār'') is a town and a municipal board in Bageshwar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is located at a distance of 470 km from the National Capital New Delhi and 332 km from the State Capital ...
,
Champawat
Champawat ( Kumaoni: ''Champāvat'') is a town and a Nagar Palika Parishad in Champawat district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Champawat district. The town was the former capital of the Kumaon Kingd ...
and
Pithoragarh
Pithoragarh ( Kumaoni: ''Pithor'garh'') is a Himalayan city with a Municipal Board in Pithoragarh district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the fourth largest city of Kumaon and the largest in Kumaon hills. It is an education hub of t ...
of Kumaon division and in
Doti
Doti ( ne, डोटी), also known as Doti region, Dotigarh (डोटीगढ़) as used in the Jagar (folk tales; जागर), in the Farwestern region of Nepal (Sudurpashchim Province), is a region situated between River Kali bordering ...
,
Baitadi
Khalanga or Baitadi Khalanga is a town and seat of Baitadi District in the Sudurpashchim Province of western Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census
The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau ...
and
Darchula
Khalanga (also called Darchula) is a town and the district headquarters of the Darchula District in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal. It is part of the Mahakali Municipality in the Mahakali Zone. The town is located on the bank of Mahakali ...
district of Nepal. This sword dance has a history of more than a thousand years and is rooted in the martial traditions of the
Kumaoni people
Kumaonis, also known as Kumaiye and Kumain (in Nepal), are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group who speak Kumaoni language as their first-language and live mostly in Kumaon region in the Indian Himalayas .
Kumaoni is also used as an addr ...
and
Khas people
Khas people (; ne, खस) popularly known as Khas Arya are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayas, Himalayan region of South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal, Indian states of Uttarakhand, West B ...
.
Origin
Dating back to over a thousand years, the dance has its origins in the warring Kshatriyas of Kumaon- the
Khasas
Khasas (Devanāgarī: खश; ') were an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe and a late Janapada kingdom from Himalayan regions of northern Indian subcontinent mentioned in the various historical Indian inscriptions and ancient Indian Hindu and Tibetan lite ...
and
Katyuris when marriages were performed at the point of the swords.
The native
Kshatriyas
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the conte ...
were united by the
Chand Kings who arrived' on the scene in the 10th century. Flux of immigrants
Rajput
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
s who made native kshatriyas a small minority also took on the hill customs and influenced pahari culture with their traditions and language. The days of marriages on the point of sword were over, but the traditions attached to it still continued.
That is why the groom is still known as ''Kunwar'' or King in Kumaon. He rides a horse in the marriage procession and wears a
Khukri
The kukri () or khukuri ( ne, खुकुरी, ) is a type of machete with a distinct recurve in its blade. It serves multiple purposes as a melee weapon and also as a regular cutting tool throughout most of South Asia. The ''kukri'', ''khuk ...
in his belt.
Significance
![छलिया नृत्य](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/%E0%A4%9B%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF.jpg)
Apart from its origins in the martial traditions of the people of Kumaon, it also has religious significance. This art form is mainly performed by the Rajput community in their marriage processions. Chholiya is performed in marriages and is believed to be auspicious as it provides protection from evil spirits and demons. Marriage processions were believed to be vulnerable to such spirits who target peoples happiness. It was a common belief that demons followed a marriage procession or
''Baryat''/Barat to bewitch the newly married and performance of Chholiya could prevent this.
Instruments
The ''turi'' (तुरी), ''nagphani'' (नागफनी) and ''ransing'' (रणसिंघ) belonging to the
brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. Brass instruments are also called labrosones or labrophones, from Latin a ...
family are traditional instruments of the
Kumaon division
Kumaon (; Kumaoni: ''Kumāū''; ; historically romanized as KemāonJames Prinsep (Editor)John McClelland ) is a revenue and administrative division in the Indian State of Uttarakhand. It spans over the eastern half of the state and is bounded ...
, were earlier used in battles to increase the morale of the troops, are used.
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
s like ''dhol'' (ढोल), ''
damau
Damau (also ''damaun'', ''dhamu'' or ''dhmuva'') is a single-headed drum instrument that is played extensively in the folk music of Uttarakhand in India. It is usually played along with the larger drum, the dhol
Dhol (IPA: ) can refer to any ...
'' (दमाऊ) which are also native to Kumaun are played by professional musicians known as ''dholies''.
''Masakbeen'' (मसकबीन) or
Bagpipe
Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, Nor ...
introduced by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
in Kumaun as instruments played in marching bands were assimilated into the wide range of instruments played.
Woodwind instruments
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and re ...
like the ''nausuriya muruli'' (नौसुरिया मुरूली) (lit. the nine note flute) akind of flute and ''jyonya'' (ज्योंया) (lit. twin flute) a type of double flute native to Kumaun is also played.
Attire
Donning the traditional Kumauni attire white ''
churidar payajama'', the ''
taanka
A taanka, also known as a tanka or kund, is a traditional rainwater harvesting technique, common to the Thar desert region of Rajasthan, India. It is meant to provide drinking water and water security for a family or a small group of families. A ...
'' on their heads, the ''chola'', face covered with sandal wood paste as if ready for battle equipped with
tulwar
The talwar (), also spelled ''talwaar'' and ''tulwar'', is a type of curved sword or sabre from the Indian subcontinent.
Etymology and classification
The word ''talwar'' originated from the Sanskrit word ''taravāri'' ( sa, तरवारि) ...
swords and brass shields. Their costume resembles the costume of the ancient martial warriors that inhabited Kumaun.
Features
Accompanied by war-like music, equipped with swords they dance in a perfectly synchronized manner while engaging in mock fights with their fellow dancers.
Carrying the triangular red flag the "nishana" (निसाण), (
banners
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also ...
), waving their swords, with fiery expressions on the faces they give the impression of warriors going to battle.
There are 22 men in a full team of Chholiya dancers 8 of them are the sword dancers and the rest 14 are musicians.
Forms
The following are the forms of Chholiya popular all over Kumaun which differ in movements
* ''Bisu nritya'' (बिसू नृत्य )
* ''Saraanv'' (mock fights) (सरांव)
* ''Rann Nritya'' (lit. war dance) (रण नृत्य)
* ''Sarankar'' (सरंकार)
* ''Veerangna'' (वीरांगना)
* ''depanshu'' (दीपांशु)
* ''Chholiya Baja'' (छोलिया बाजा)
* ''Shauka Shaili'' (शौका शैली) native to
Johar
Johar (foaled 1999 in Kentucky, died November 10, 2014)http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/88680/stallion-johar-dies-at-age-15#ixzz3Irqla5SG was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2003 Breeders' Cup Turf in ...
region of Kumaun
* ''Paitan Baja'' (पैटण बाजा)
References
* ''The Himalayan Gazetter'' by E. T. Atkinson
* ''The History of Kumaun'' by B. D. Pandey
{{Dance in India
Kumaon division
Culture of Uttarakhand
Dances of India
Indian folk dances
Dance in Nepal
Khas culture
Nepalese folk dances
Culture of Sudurpashchim
Culture of Karnali