Bhaona: A Mythological based Theatre in Assam

Bhaona, a 16th century traditional form of entertainment in Assam, have persisted as eternal and integral part of Assamese literature and culture, even in this modern age of augmentation of various audio-visual media. So, what is bhaona exactly which is considered as the soul of Assamese society?

Imaginary potrait of Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankardev image source: Wikipedia.

Born on 1449 AD, saint reformer Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankardev created bhaona as a vehicle to propagate the Neo-Vaishnavaite religious movement started by him among the villagers. He was influenced by his encounters with various folk theatres like as Ramleela, Rashleela, Kathakoli, and others during his visit to different religious places.

Bhaona (assamese: ভাওনা) plays are referred to as Ankiya nats, and their staging is called bhaona. Sankardev wrote seven plays for the performance in Bhaona. The first Bhaona was Chihna-yatra (Chihna refers to the recital of a story using visuals, and Yatra refers to a type of folk drama popular at the time), in which he played Bishnu himself. Bhaona always delivers a religious message. The story usually illustrates an early superficial triumph of evil over good, but ultimately in the end it shows the victory of the latter and truth with the help of the Gods.

Many of Sankardev’s disciples, notably Srimanta Madhabdeva, his most famous disciple, also composed dramas for Bhaona. Mahapurusha Sankardev is perhaps the first person in Eastern India to work as a composer, director and producer of 'drama' such as Patni Prasada, Keli Gopal, Rukmini Harana and others. He was also a dancer and a musician. His contribution to Assamese drama and theatre has been enormous.

Bhaona is mostly performed in xatra (Vaishnavite monasteries) and namghar (places of worship) in Assam. Now-a-days, they are also performed in pandals so that more people can attend as there are no walls. The upper portion of the pandal is covered in white, while the lower part is coated in crimson. The white part denotes salvation, while the crimson part denotes deception.

The Assamese people take great pride with bhaona being intrinsic to their culture and how Srimanta Sankardev has revolutionsed the cultural sector of assam with the creation of it.

Languages used to write bhaona were usually Assamese and Brajavali which is a literary language limited to theatrical use. It has some distinctive features, such as the plays, dialogues, elaborate costumes, ornaments, character entrances, and footsteps.

Bhaoria is the name given to the actors who perform it. All bhaorias should use dancing to display their activity even during entrance and exit. Women usually do not take part in it. Even the role of women are played by men. However, in the present times, though some bhaonas have opened the roles for women to participate, yet it still remains a controversy.

There are a variety of dances that are suggestive of war in Bhaona. Shankardeva's artistic restraint is seen in four different types of dances presented in it. The krishna nas, gopi nas, ras nas, and notua nas (chali nritya) are the four types. They are now known as sattriya dance. The primary characteristic of Bhaona is the well-balanced mix of songs, dances, instruments, music, and speech.

Though not a character in the play, the Sutradhara of an Ankiya Nat is an important element of it; he recites slokas, sings, dances, and describes what will go on at each stage of the Bhaona in the very beginning.

For the bhaorias' make-up, the make-up artist, known as Khanikar, applies organic colours such as khoi mati, hengul haital, vermillion, earthworm nectar, indigo, ash, gum taken from wood Apple, liquid jaggery, and so on.

132nd Bhaona samarooh held in Dibrugarh on 12th February’22 (captured by Adrita)

Scenes from a bhaona performed in Dibrugarh University (captured by Adrita)