Kaura, also known as Kauraha, is a folk musical performance indigenous to the Western hilly regions of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. Kaura was originated in the Magar community of Rishing

Tanahun Tanahun District ( , or ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district lies in central Nepal, with Damauli as its district headquarters. It covers an area of and has a population (2011) of 323,288. ...

. Kaura is originally called Kaan Raha which translates to “we have come” in Magar Dhut. Kaura is performed from mid-January to mid-June (

Maghe Sankranti Maghe Sankranti (, , Nepal Bhasa: ) is a Nepali festival observed on the first of Magh (Nepali calendar), Magh in the Vikram Samvat, Vikram Sambat (B.S) or Yele Sambat, Yele calendar marking the end of the winter solstice and the month of Poush. ...

to Asare Purnima) during celebration of various festivities. Apart from that, it is also performed during marriage ceremony, rice feeding ceremony and naming ceremony, among other occasions. Kaura has its roots in the western region of

, including

Syangja Syangja District (; ) is a part of Gandaki Province, and is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. Its headquarter is Putalibazar with a diverse population including Brahmin, Magar, Chhetri, Dalit and Gurung communities. Syangja is home ...

, Palpa, Nawalpur,

Gorkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with the endonym Gorkhali ( Nepali: गोर्खाली ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of North India. The Gurkha units consist of Nepali and ...

and

Chitwan Chitwan District (, , ) is one of seventy-seven districts of Nepal, and takes up the southwestern corner of Bagmati Province. Bharatpur, largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu, is its administrative centre. It covers , and in 2011 had a popul ...

districts where the

Magars The Magars, also spelled Mangar and Mongar, are the largest ethnic group native to Nepal and Northeast India, representing 6.9% of Nepal's total population according to the 2021 Nepal census. They are one of the main Gurkha tribes. The first ...

community are largely inhabited. However, in present day we can see the dance performed all around

and also internationally with the motive to save the culture in countries like the

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where a large number of Magar people have migrated. Talking about the authenticity of the Kaura performance, “The female dancers should be in odd number, starting from minimum three to maximum 13. Only unmarried women were allowed or considered suitable to participate in the performance, while both married & unmarried men could perform. In Kaura, one verse is sung multiple times to create rhythm for the dancers. It was often mandatory for men to sing to the rhythm of the instrument Khaijadi while women to dance, wearing Jharra in their legs. Although associated with its distinctive costume, musical instruments and prosody, some have expressed concern that Kaura is losing its authenticity due to perversions introduced by commercialization and external influence, while others have been more optimistic deeming the changes a natural part of the cultural evolution and increasing popularity.

References

Culture of Nepal Nepalese folk dances Culture of Gandaki Magar culture {{Nepal-culture-stub

See also

References