Pandav Nritya, a well-known folk dance of Uttarakhand, is presented throughout the state’s Kumaon area. It is called after the Pandavas, a group of five brothers who appear in the Mahabharata, a famous Hindu epic. A group of people who are dressed like the Pandavas in elaborate masks and costumes perform the dance. They also carry swords and shields, which they used to act out scenarios from the Mahabharata during the dance.
Choliya Dance has a long history, going back to over a thousand years, when it originated in the warring Khasiya Kingdom of Khandesh, and marriages were conducted with swords. The Chand kings arrived in the 10th century, bringing the people together. In Nepal, the term Khasa remains synonymous with Kashatrya, and even in Khasdesh, they adopted the traditions of the Rajputs, who were themselves considered Kshatryas. Keeping the old tradition alive, the Rajputs dance this at their weddings as a part of the marriage procession itself, led by the male dancers who go on dancing until they reach the bride’s house.
