Rare Dance Form in India – Charkula Dance of UP

Charkula Dance

 

With a belief that Lord Krishna’s wife Radha was born on the third day after Holi, the inhabitants of Braj region of Uttar Pradesh religiously perform this dance every year. The women drape themselves in colorful outfits and move rhythmically to the tunes of Lord Krishna’s songs or ‘rasiyas’.

The movements are extremely graceful in spite of the charkulas (a large multi-tiered wooden pyramid) balancing over their head. The charkulas are said be lighted by 108 oil wicks. The dance form is enthused by many legendary stories related to Radha and Krishna.