Pandvani is one of the most celebrated forms of folklore from Chhattisgarh. In recent recent years its popularity outside this region owes much to the lauded performer Teejan Bai. Known mostly as a regional/ folk version of the Mahabharata, its terms of relationship with the Sanskrit epic are little known. Before it became a professional performative genre, the Pandavani consisted of different forms of oral lore in circulation in this region. Following trends in other narrative genres from this region, the Pandavani came to be performed as a professional performative genre in this region. The trajectory of this transformation follows the lead of several remarkable individual performers. While Jhaduram Devangan occupies a iconic status in this region, and is credited with suturing the narrative together, there were other legendary performers of the Pandavani whose roles are slowly fading from public memory.
This content has been created as part of a project commissioned by the Directorate of Culture and Archaeology, Government of Chhattisgarh, to document the cultural and natural heritage of the state of Chhattisgarh.