The slaves began to gather axes, spears and wooden sticks to kill him. She ordered her slaves to find and kill the old man. She wondered how she would survive without her cattle. The slaves told Banubai, ‘The old man you put to work, has killed all your cattle, and ruined your wealth.’ Upon hearing this Banubai began weeping as this was a huge loss. They ran back to the palace and relayed what they saw to her. Banubai's slaves, who went to the Yum River, saw this. He killed the cattle, separated the wool from the skin, chopped the meat. And to bring them back to the palace by evening. She asked him to take her cattle to the river Yum to bathe them. One day Banubai gave work to an old man who was, in fact, Khandoba in disguise. Khandoba wished to try and gain her attention. S: It is said that Banubai, a Dhangar princess, owned 9 lakh sheep. They said that because they are demons, and nobody would remember them. They demanded that whenever Khandoba is remembered their names be recited first. Khandoba took on the incarnation of Martand Bhairav to defeat them in war. Brothers Mani and Malya were sons of Kotum Daitya (a demon). My father followed his father's footsteps. Another member of the troupe plays Khandoba.īA: My father's father was the first Gondhali of my area.
S: Banu is the consort of Khandoba, she has a very important role in this story. VJ: We have this art form for survival and we are earning enough. The story is about King Khandoba marrying two queens from different castes. Muralis take on their roles and reenact their story. What is the story of King Khandoba? This story is about Khandoba and his two wives: Mhalsa and Banu. Khandoba's Muralis have to sing and dance. Samadhan (S): In the night, I apply make-up to play the role of Banubai. Gondhal is an inherited art of the Mahar community. This is our livelihood so we have to put up the performance. Those people from upper peasant castes come to us and ask us to perform. Most of the middle castes and peasant classes are devotees of King Khandoba. All this happens in the name of tradition. No God has suggested the killing of any goat or sheep. We are not claiming to spread any spirituality here.
Can you ask the TV actors to perform like us without sleep? They cannot.īapu Ahire (BA): Gondhal is just a means to fill our stomachs.
I don’t think serial actors can do this much hard work! And the next day it continues again we cannot sleep during Gondhal.
Our day begins early in the morning and work continues all night. We perform live, standing all night in front of our audience. On the other hand, we can persuade audiences to stay for longer, we can entertain them. And on TV we see half an hour to hour-long episodes. VJ: Jai Malhar! Actors in the Jai Malhar TV serial take at least 1–2 months to prepare and practice for their roles. VJ: I used to work in a farm along with my parents. In what language should I speak? Hindi, Marathi or Ahirani? Interviewer (I): You have been working for ten ye ars in this industry? It is believed that if Gondhal is performed just before an auspicious occasion, the event will go smoothly. Gondhal is significant due to its educative yet entertaining form as a folk art. The practice, in a more spiritualised avatar, spread further during the Bhakti movement in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. They perform in rural Maharashtra and parts of Karnataka in praise of King Khandoba. Most of the performers, called Gondhali, belong to the Mahar-Mang (Scheduled Castes) communities even today. Gondhal literally means ‘chaos’ in Marathi.