The twelve varieties of Dhimsa
Dhimsa is not one dance but a family — traditionally counted as twelve varieties, each with its own occasion, steps and meaning. The exact list varies from village to village and source to source (folk traditions are not filing systems), but the varieties most consistently described are these.
The best-documented varieties
The ritual opening dance, performed in honour of the village deity — the form with the most ceremony attached.
The playful, flirtatious one: men dance holding peacock feathers and call the women to join — a courtship in dance form.
Known for its synchronised backward-and-forward bending — the whole chain swings as one.
A story-dance: the chain enacts escaping a tiger's attack — a very real theme in these forested hills.
Unusual for being a solo form, associated particularly with the Valmiki community and danced at Diwali.
"The big Dhimsa" — the grand, principal form for major celebrations.
Other names you will meet
Lists compiled by folklorists and cultural bodies also record varieties such as Kunda Dhimsa, Pathartola Dhimsa, Bayya Dhimsa, Mouli (Choti) Dhimsa and Sambar Nisani Dhimsa, among others. Descriptions of these are thinner and sometimes contradictory — a reminder that the tradition lives in performance, not on paper, and that "twelve" is as much a way of saying many and complete as an exact inventory.
What unites all of them: the linked chain, the drum-led rhythm, and movements drawn from the daily and ritual life of the hills. To hear what drives them, see music & instruments.
Last updated: 2026-08-04