# Chaiti ghoda

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Folk dance from Odisha, India

 Ghoda Nacha or Chaiti Ghoda Nacha

**Chaiti ghoda** **nacha** is one of the popular [folk dance](/source/Folk_dance) forms of [Odisha](/source/Odisha), India. The dance is performed by aboriginal fishermen tribes like the [Keot (Kaibarta)](/source/Jalia_Kaibarta).[1][2] *Chaiti* represent the *[chaitra](/source/Chaitra)* month of the Hindu calendar year, that is, from March to April to the full moon in *[Baisakh](/source/Vaishakha)*, that is, from April to May; *ghoda* means horse in Odia and Hindi language.

## History

A story in the epic legend *[Ramayana](/source/Ramayana)* says that when lord Rama crossed the *[Saraju](/source/Sarju)* [river](/source/River) with the help of aboriginal Keot fishermen and in return, lord [Rama](/source/Rama) had presented a horse to the fishermen.[3]

The folk dance is connected with the worship of goddess *Baseli*. In the 15th century, Odia poet [Achutananda Das](/source/Achyutananda_Dasa) had elaborated the details of the worship in book, *Kaibarta Gita*. Also known as Baseli *puja*, the goddess from the [Shakta tradition](/source/Shaktism) in Hinduism is worshipped by the fishermen community. Das mentions in the book that the *puja* originated in the 10th century.[4][5][6]

The dance also played some role in India's freedom struggle movement. Scholars say that freedom fighters used the occasion to mobilise the fishermen community to fight against the British. There are some accounts saying that the fisherman community of [Kujanga](/source/Kujang%2C_Odisha) area used to use the dance to gain their freedom from the British administration.[4][5]

In present times, the folk dance is not limited to the fishermen community solely; many other communities have begun to participate in it.[7]

In 2020, [Utsav Charan Das](/source/Utsav_Charan_Das) from the town of [Choudwar](/source/Choudwar) in Odisha was awarded with the [Padma Shri](/source/Padma_Shri) for his efforts spanning six decades in keeping the art of *chaiti ghoda nacha* alive. His efforts helped in the revival and renewed research interest in the folk art form and its adoption as a means to raise awareness about various social issues.[8]

## Performance

The folk celebration takes place over a month, from *Chaitra Purnima* to *Baisakha Purnima*. The celebration begins on the day of Chaitra Purnima with the fishermen anointing the bamboo with candle paste, vermillion, and butter lamp, and splitting it into twelve pieces with which the frame of the dummy horse is built. The dummy horse frame is dyed with red clay and a wooden horse head is fixed to the frame, along with a garland of hibiscus flowers.[9][10]

The frame is worshipped for eight days, and thereafter taken out for the *ghoda nacha.* Dancers dance with the rhythm of *mahuri* and *dhola* (drum) instruments. There are only two dancers: one male (known as Rauta) and the other is also a male in female attire (known as Rautani). They dance to the tune of folk songs. After the celebration concludes, the wooden horse head is removed from the horse frame and kept in the local temple to be brought out the next year.[3][11]

The celebration draws a large crowd from the villages all around.[11][2]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["10 Unique Dance Forms Of Odisha Which Are Spectacular In Their Distinctive Ways!"](http://mycitylinks.in/10-unique-dance-forms-of-odisha-which-are-spectacular-in-their-distinctive-ways/). *Mycitylinks*. Retrieved 3 October 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_2-1) ["Ghoda nacha in Chaitra Purnima"](http://odialive.com/ghoda-nacha-in-chaitra-purnima/). *odialive.com*. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_3-1) ["Chaiti Ghoda Nata"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161003205018/http://www.odialinks.com/dances/folk-dance/chaiti-ghoda-nata/). *odialinks.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.odialinks.com/dances/folk-dance/chaiti-ghoda-nata/) on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_4-1) Banerji Projesh. (1944). [*The Folk Dance Of India (1944)*](https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.507479). Kitabistan.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_5-1) Vatsyayan, Kapila (2010). *Traditions of Indian folk dance*. India library (3., rev. and modified ed.). New Delhi: Clarion Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-81-85120-22-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-81-85120-22-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Patnaik, D. N. (1972). [*Some folk dances of Orissa*](https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.22945). Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Bureau, O. B. (2025-01-11). ["Ghoda Nach & Singer Antara's Performance Mesmerise Visitors At Ekamra Utsav In Bhubaneswar"](https://odishabytes.com/ghoda-nach-singer-antaras-performance-mesmerise-visitors-at-ekamra-utsav-in-bhubaneswar/). *Odisha Bytes*. Retrieved 2025-02-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Padma award for effort to keep art form alive"](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/padma-award-for-effort-to-keep-art-form-alive/articleshow/73779840.cms). *The Times of India*. 2020-01-31. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0971-8257](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0971-8257). Retrieved 2025-02-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Narayan, Shovana (2004). *Folk dance traditions of India*. Gurgaon: Shubhi Publication. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-81-87226-93-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-81-87226-93-2).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Leach, Maria; Fried, Jerome (1972). [*Funk & Wagnalls standard dictionary of folklore, mythology, and legend*](https://archive.org/details/funkwagnallsstan00leac). Internet Archive. New York, Funk & Wagnalls.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:4_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:4_11-1) ["CHAITI GHODA"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160410105535/http://orissadiary.com/orissa_profile/ruralfolk/CHAITI%20GHODA.asp). *orissadiary.com*. Archived from [the original](http://orissadiary.com/orissa_profile/ruralfolk/CHAITI%20GHODA.asp) on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chaiti ghoda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaiti_ghoda) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaiti_ghoda?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.