Fatehpur Gambhira Group organized Gambhira Festival -2025 for present the various heritages of our society to the new generation.
Gambhira Festivals -2025 was organized by Fatehpur Gambhira Group on Saturday in the Fatehpur village under English Bazar Police Station, Malda. The opening ceremony was started by the lightning of traditional lamps by distinguished Guests who are represented from different traditional cultures. The programme started by the Mukha Nritya(Mask Dance)by Tanushree Mandal, a young resident girl from the host village of Fatehpur. The Guests were faliciated by Gamcha, a traditional cloth used in Gambhira and other folks dances. Dr. Patit Pavan Chowdhury, and Mrs. Chandra Jha Mishra presented the poem and songs in Khotta Language respectedly. The programme started at 4.30 in the afternoon and it finished at 10 o'clock at night where different Gambhira Groups performed their presentation .
Meanwhile Gambhira dance is a folk dance performed by a group or a group of people wearing masks or without masks during the Gambhira festival in Malda district of West Bengal, India. Gambhira performances are centred around the Malda District whereas Chapai Nawabganj District is the main centre of Gambhira performances in Bangladesh. The tradition is also popular in the nearby districts of Rajshahi and Naogaon.It is performed with a particularly distinctive rhythm and dance with two performers, always personifying a man and his maternal grandfather, discussing a topic to raise social awareness.This dance is popular among the lower caste Hindus, Namasudras, Rajvanshis, and Polia communities of this region.
It is believed that the Gambhira festival originated around Shiva Puja. One of the names of Lord Shiva is 'Gambhir', so Shiva's festival is Gambhira festival and Shiva's Vandana Geeti(Prayer Song) is Gambhira Song. However, in ancient times it is believed that it was a festival of the Sun God. In Malda, the main events of the previous year are criticized through dance, songs, and performances at the Gambhira Mandap for occasion of Shiva Puja on the occasion of Chaitra Sankranti; Gambhira mask dances of Chota Tamasha, Baro Tamasha, and Phulbhanga ceremonies are performed at different stages of the program. Gambhira dance is considered to be much older than Gambhira music.
Gambhira dance is mainly of two types: Mask dance and Maskless dance
The creation of ritualistic religious protective characters and masks is also preserved. The magical style is noticeable in the dances of Kali, Narasimhi, Chamunda etc. The primitive masks were made of neem or fig wood. Later, clay masks and in recent times some people also make them from paper pulp. However, no mask art has been created with the masks used for Gambhira dance.
There are roughly five types of masks in Gambhira dance:
Hindu mythology: Baan, Kali, Narasimha, Vasuli, Gridhinivishal, Chamunda, Ugrachanda, Jhanta Kali, Mahishamardini, Lakshmi-Saraswati, Hiranyakashipu Vadha, Tarkavadha, Shumbhani Shumbha Vadha etc. The most attractive of these masks is the Narasimha mask.
Rural or folk: Buck, Tipa, and Buffalo-Rakhal.
Animal-related: Snake, Tiger, Deer, Hanuman etc.
Social or satirical: Old woman, Memsaheb, drunkard etc.
Mixed styles: fairy, snake, gardener, king, magician, etc.
Bana Nritya is the introduction of Gambhira dance. There is also a variety in the drums used as musical instruments, which are called sutras. These five sutras are: Abahan, Pujabadya(Music for workship ), Anga Pratyaranga Chalana( Body Gusture), Lahar (Layric)and Bidaya. (Farewell).
These five sutras are expressed in seven types of dances - Kali, Chamunda, Narasimhi, Vasuli, Ugrachanda, Gridhini Vishal and Mahishmardini. There are two parts to this dance:Puranika, & Medhyamika.
Characteristically, Gambhira dance is also divided into three parts: ordinary, magical and folk.
Among these, the only dance is Narasimhi; For 12/13 minutes, the dancer performs in various postures, sometimes leaning or pointing in a specific direction with the index finger, sometimes lying down, sometimes in a boisterous manner, sometimes spinning in a whirlwind, sometimes standing forward in a prominent 'sthanake'(Place) posture.
In the old days, dancers wore gold jewelry and tied nupurs on their feet. Now, ghungurs is used. Tiger feet and lion feet are particularly noticeable in the dance.
According Mr. Bablu Mandal, a teacher of Prestigious Naghoria High School and the Leader of Fatehpur Gambhira Group, special purpose of the festival is to present the various heritages of our society to the new generation, to know the real history of the country, and the real foundation of our society.He also said that this is the first time it organised by personal way where the main Sponsored is Gour Mahavidyalaya and different organisations.
This festival will have exhibitions of pictures of various heritage monuments from the cultural heritage of Gaur Bengal, types of Khotta language, and various old books.
The special attraction of this festival is collection and presentation of old coins of different eras from the period of Chandragupta Maurya to the British era in India and the present time.