Hello everyone! This is the second blog of my two part series on Bhavai.
Bhavai is an especially significant art form to me because, as I said, I am of Gujarati descent. I was fortunate enough to travel to a village in Gujarat called Lilapur with the help of Abhay Rawal, one of the Bhavai performers in the village. Bhavai is performed uniquely in different parts of Gujarat. Some regions of Gujarat perform Bhavai to invoke messages of morality and character, some portray religious aspects of individuals, and some perform Bhavai to send messages about social injustices.
The village of Lilapur performs Bhavai during the festival of Navratri– a religious celebration of good over evil that takes place over nine nights. Bhavai in Lilapur is performed on the seventh, eighth, and ninth nights of Navratri. Each night is dedicated to sending a specific message through distinct stories. The swangs, or skits, performed on the first night are Sri Bahucharaji, Munda-Kansaro, Jutha, Bhoyraj, and Minyabibi Bhensma. These stories are focused on teaching the individuals of the city to have pure morals. Some of these ideas include honesty towards your loved ones and God, and maintaining true friendships.
The second night’s main theme is devotion. The swangs performed on the second night are Munda and Kansaro. A sharp two and a half foot long needle is pierced through different parts of the body like the cheeks, tongue, throat, and stomach. The audience sees this show of devotion as a miracle because the performers show no signs of pain. It is seen as a communication of some divine power. The third and final night is dedicated to Bahuchara Mata, a Hindu goddess of chastity and fertility. The swang is named after the goddess and it is called Bahucharaji. In Lilapur, only men are allowed to perform Bhavai, so a man is dressed up as the goddess and he sits in the center of the room. All the men of the village and surrounding villages pay their tributes to the goddess by coming up to the performer and touching his feet. This practice is called page lago, which translates to touching feet, and it is a common practice in India to show respect to elders or deities. Today Lilapur has become a well known region due to Navratri festival and its Bhavai tradition. Folk artists from Germany to England come to Lilapur to study the practices and learn about the culture of Bhavai. This popularity is all due to Lilapur’s devotion to staying authentic and maintaining the practices done hundreds of years ago by the ancient clans of Gujarat.
Seeing the performances in Lilapur was truly an experience I will never forget. I learned so much about my culture in those three days of visiting. It is so amazing how distinct and important messages can be portrayed through performances. The most amazing part to me was how individuals like Abhay Rawal dedicate their lives to making sure the traditions stay alive. Without them, the traditions would die out and individuals like myself wouldn’t be able to be enlightened by the culture and passion of Bhavai.
I hope you enjoyed learning about Bhavai as much as I did. See you next time!
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