Gaurav at 10:24, 24 February 2026

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{{Short description|Traditional form of play from Assam, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
[[File:RAM BIJOY ANKIA NAAT2.jpg|thumb|A bhaona performance]]

'''Bhaona''' is a traditional performing art form that originated in [[Assam]]. It is a [[Hindu]] religious art form, in which scenes are enacted from various mythological events and folklore. The art evolved from the songs composed by [[Vaishnavite]] saint [[Sankardev]] in the early sixteenth century CE.

A Bhaona is a performance of [[Nat]] or one-act play. A sutradhar acts as the director and narrator of the performance. The act is performed by actors (Bhaoriya) accompanied by singers (Gayan), and music from traditional instruments played by instrumentalists (Baayan).It is mainly of two types, 1. [[Bhaona]] and 2. [[Ankiya nat]].

Raw Bhaona was made on the language "Barjawalli", which was a language made by Srimant Sankardeva, In modern bhaona "Matrivasha" or mother tongue is used i.e. Assamese.

== History ==
A Bhaona is a traditional performing art form that originated in [[Assam]].{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=62-63}}{{sfn|Bhuyan|2007|p=48}}
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2986082.ece |title=Assam's traditional Ankiya Bhaona to get new lease of life |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=12 March 2012 |access-date=1 February 2013}}</ref> It is a staging or performance of an [[Ankiya Nat]] or a one-act play (''Ankit'' meaning one act and ''Nat'' means play or drama).{{sfn|Snook|Nath|Buck|2023|p=1}}{{sfn|Lal|2004|p=12}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.assaminfo.com/culture/4/bhaona-traditional-form-of-assameseentertainment.htm |title=Bhaona: Traditional form of assamese entertainment |work=Assaminfo|access-date=1 February 2013}}</ref>

[[Sankardev]] was a [[Vaishnavite]] saint and [[polymath]] from the 15-16th century CE.{{sfn|Neog|1980|p=98-101}}{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=63}} As Sankardev adopted a spiritual life, he traveled across the lands and came across the various tribes of the hills. With the thought of conveying religious messages and ethical ways of life, he composed several songs, which formed basis of the Ankiya Bhaona art form.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=64}}{{sfn|Snook|Nath|Buck|2023|p=1}} Sankaradeva took inspiration from various [[Sanskrit]] texts, and modeled the bhaonas on them.<ref>{{cite book|title=Srimanta Sankaradeva: Vaishnava Saint of Assam|last=Phukan|first=Bimal|year=2017|publisher=[[Partridge Publishing]]|isbn=978-1-482-88698-6|chapter=Ankiya Nat or Bhaona}}</ref>{{sfn|Banerjee|Ghosh|2006|p=85}} The act generally involves stories from [[Hindu mythology]] and folklore. It usually revolves around the theme of victory of good over evil, and incorporates some kind of divine incorporation in the plays.{{sfn|Snook|Nath|Buck|2023|p=1}}

== Performance ==
The performance can be enacted any time during the day or night, all through the year. There are no specific time restrictions or seasons prescribed for the art form.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=65}} The art form are also varies across the [[Satra (Ekasarana Dharma)|satra]]s (Vaishnavite religious institutions) the actors are affiliated to.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=65}} A single bhaona performance can extend for days, and can be held on consecutive nights.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=67}}

=== Staging ===
The performance is usually carried out on an open stage in a public area. It can also be enacted in [[namghar]]s and enclosed [[pandal]]s.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=65}}<ref name="Bhaona"/> The stage is usually circular with audience seated around the same. Rectangular stages with raised platforms on one end are also used. A [[green room]] is made of temporary cloth screens, and the actors enter and exit the stage via the room.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=66}}

There are various different types of lights used to light the stage. Traditional lights placed around the stage consist of [[castor oil]] poured into hollowed out [[banana]] stems called ''bhota''s. Earthen lamps are placed on special curved structures made of a special type of [[bamboo]] called ''balukha'' and [[torch]]es are also used.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=66}}<ref name="Bhaona"/> Various colours are also brought up using special tools called ''sengeli''s, which are made of plant based material filled in pipes in a process known as ''mota''.<ref name="Bhaona"/>

The public are informed of a bhaona performance orally beforehand. The audience are seated in separated sections with land owners given priority. The audience are usually served [[betel leaves]] and [[betel nuts]].{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=67}}

=== Participants ===
[[File:Sutradhar in Bhaona.jpeg|thumb|A Sutradhar in a bhaona]]

A sutradhar forms the central part of the act.{{sfn|Snook|Nath|Buck|2023|p=1}} He acts as the director and narrator of the performance, while simultaneously engaging in singing and dancing. He introduces the characters, and controls their entry and exit from the act.<ref name="Bhaona">{{cite web|url=https://nenow.in/education/ankia-nat-and-bhaona-the-first-dramatic-invention-of-eastern-india.html|title=Ankia Nat and Bhaona: The First Dramatic Invention of Eastern India|work=North East Now|date=11 June 2021|access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref> Compared to Sanskrit plays where the sutradhar is limited to introducing and directing the act, the sutradhar in bhaonas take up a greater role.<ref name="Bhaona"/> Once someone attains a position of sutradhar, he remains so, and becomes a teacher to the younger artists.{{sfn|Banerjee|Ghosh|2006|p=68=69}}

The act is performed by actors called Bhaoriya, who are accompanied by singers (Gayan), and music from traditional instruments played by instrumentalists (Baayan).{{sfn|Snook|Nath|Buck|2023|p=1}} No women take part in the play, and female roles are enacted by men itself.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=70}} A single act in a bhaona is performed by bhaoriyas usually belonging to village of a specific satra. While actors can be exchanged within the same satra, it is prohibited to cross over to another satra.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=67}}

=== Costume and makeup ===
The sutradhar dresses in a white, tight fitting vest with a ''ghuri'', which consists of a single piece of cloth passed over the shoulders and crisscrossed at the chest to be tied at the waist. He wears [[silk]] [[turban]]s with golden borders, adorned with garlands of [[tulsi]] leaves. The sutradhar also wears special [[anklet]]s called ''nupur''s, made of [[iron]] or [[brass]] with metal pieces inside.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=70}} The gaayan and baayan wear a pointed headgear with a garland of tulsi, and white dresses made of [[Assam silk]].<ref name="Bhaona"/>

Artisans who enact the role of [[Krishna]] usually are coloured in blue and wear a [[yellow]] coloured [[dhoti]].{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=70}} Various colours for the makeup are obtained from natural plant based dyes called ''hengul hightali''.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=70-71}} The makeup man known as ''khanikar'' also uses products such as [[vermillion]], [[earthworm]] extract, [[ash]], [[jaggery]], and gum extracted from trees for makeup.<ref name="Bhaona"/> Participants use various types of [[mask]]s to enact characters such as [[Deva (Hinduism)|deva]]s, [[asura]]s, and other types of [[animals]] and [[birds]]. These masks are made of burnt mud, and are painted accordingly. Masks are specifically used in ''satriya'' dances.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=71}} Some of the actors might dress up as [[clown]]s to entertain the audience.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=71}}

=== Music ===
During the act, singers sing the songs mostly from the compositions of Sankardev. The songs are called Ankia Geet, composed across approximately 33 [[ragas]].<ref name="Bhaona"/> These songs are in two languages–[[Assamese language|Assamese]] and [[Brajavali]] languages.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=64}}<ref name="Bhaona"/> While Assamese is the native language, Brajavali was chosen by Sankardev as he probably felt that the scenes can be better expressed using the language.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=64-65}} Words from Assamese are also extensively used in Brajavali plays as well.<ref name="Bhaona"/> The songs sung during the act are classified into ''ghosa''s and ''vilap''s.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=68}}

The performance is accompanied by traditional instruments such as [[khol]]s, and [[cymbal|tol]]s. There are always an even numbers khols, which can range from two to sixty.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=65}}

=== Act ===
At the beginning of the performance, a prominent person narrates the history of bhaona (''ittibritta'') in a song called ''malita''.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=67-68}} The baayans play the khols in two or three stages with brief pauses in between in a performance known as ''dhyamali''. It is accompanied by a [[choir|chorus]] of gaayans. The players often jump and give jerking movements while playing the instruments.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=68}} Before the start of a dhyamali, lights are lighted on the stage.<ref name="Bhaona"/> After this, the sutradhar enters the stage screened by a white cloth held by his assistants. Once the screen is removed, he welcomes and salutes the audience with a [[namaskar]], and starts narrating the synopsis of the act. The sutradhar generally sings about [[Vishnu]]'s [[Dashavatara|ten avatars]] before the same.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=69}}

The main act follows, accompanied by music and songs. A sutradhar is always present during the entire course of the act, narrating the scenes and making entrance on to the stage at appropriate times.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=69}} Four types of dances–krishna nas, gopi nas, ras nas and notua nas are performed in a bhaona.<ref name="Bhaona"/> The act usually ends with a song known as ''koilankharman'', which signifies the end of a bhaona.{{sfn|Banerji|1959|p=71}}

==Variants==
A form of [[puppetry]] called Putala Bhaona is also practised in the region, which draws stories from the traditional Bhaona.{{sfn|Banerjee|Ghosh|2006|p=86}} [[Baresahariya Bhaona]] and [[Buka Bhaona]] are bhaona festivals based on the art form.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=nov0812/state05 |title=The Assam Tribune Online |work=[[Assam Tribune]] |date=8 November 2012 |access-date=1 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109165455/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=nov0812%2Fstate05 |archive-date=9 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sentinelassam.com/north-east-india-news/assam-news/jamurighat-226th-barechahar-bhaona-celebration-to-be-held-in-march-630987|title=Jamurighat: 226th Barechahar Bhaona celebration to be held in March |work=The Sentinel|access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book|last1=Banerjee|first1=Utpal|last2=Ghosh|first2=Sampa|title=The Folk-Dance of India|date=2006|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-8-170-17435-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Banerji|first=Projesh|url=https://archive.org/details/FolkDanceOfIndia/page/n24/mode/1up|title=The Folk-Dance of India|date=1959|publisher=Kitabistan}}
* {{cite book|last=Bhuyan|first=Abhijit|title=Namghar in Assam: A Comparative Study of the Namghars of Borbhogia Village and Bordowa Than/Satra|year=2007|isbn=978-8-182-06008-1|publisher=[[University of California]]}}
* {{cite book|last=Lal|first=Ananda|title=The Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre|year=2004|isbn=978-0-195-64446-3|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}
* {{cite book |last=Neog |first=Maheswar |author-link=Maheshwar Neog |title=Early History of the Vaiṣṇava Faith and Movement in Assam: Śaṅkaradeva and His Times |year=1980 |url={{Google books|DcReZM-rI0MC|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |place=Delhi }}
* {{cite book|first1=Barbara|last1=Snook|first2=Debarshi|last2=Nath|first3=Ralph|last3=Buck|title=Reflections of Dance Along the Brahmaputra: Celebrating Dance in North East India|year=2023|isbn=978-1-000-90148-1|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]}}

==External links==
{{Dance in India}}
{{Commons category|Bhaona}}

[[Category:Ekasarana Dharma]]
[[Category:Culture of Assam]]
[[Category:Theatre of India]]

Bhaona - Revision history

Gaurav at 10:24, 24 February 2026