Gaarudi Gombe is a folk dance prevalent in the state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Dancers adorn themselves with giant doll-suits made of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

sticks. The term ''Gaarudi-Gombe'' means ''magical-doll'' in the native language,

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

. This dance is performed during major festivals and also in the procession held during the festivities of

Mysore Dasara Mysore Dasara is the ''Nadahabba'' (state festival) of the state of Karnataka in India. It is a 10-day festival, starting with nine nights called Navaratri and the last day being Vijayadashami. The festival is observed on the tenth day in the ...

. This dance is also known as ''Tattiraya'' in the coastal districts of

. The term ''Tattiraya'' means a ''person carrying a doll made of bamboo sticks''.A description of Gaarudi Gombe is provided by

Origin

According to a legend, this dance was performed even in the times of the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

epic,

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

. When the

Lord

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

's wife

Satyabhama Satyabhama, also known as Satrajiti, is a Hindu goddess and the third queen-consort of the Hindu god Krishna. Satyabhama is described as the incarnation of Bhudevi, the goddess and the personification of the earth. She aided Krishna in defeati ...

was angry with him, he soothed her anger by wearing a Gaarudi Gombe doll.Legend related to the Gaarudi Gombe dance is mentioned by

Creation of the dolls

The face of the doll is made up of wooden basket with papier-mache applied on it. Using appropriate sketches and colours, the face of the doll is created. Each face is supported by a wooden frame. The dolls can be as much as 10 to 12 feet in height and including the frame, the total weight can be as high as 40 kg. A person fits himself into the frame from the underside and performs the dance carrying this huge structure on his shoulder Provisions are made for the performer to see the outside world through an opening in the frame.

The dance

Due to the heavy weight of the dolls to be carried, most of the performers are men. The dance performance can go on for as much as eight hours, thus the performers take turns carrying the heavy dolls. Though the main idea behind the performance is to create a funny atmosphere, they are also used as a medium to ward off evil spirits.

Notes

{{Karnataka topics Folk dances of Karnataka