Deodhani Nritya forms the most important and significant part of the Bohaggiyo Bishu Festival, celebrated by
Deori community of
Assam. The dance form is associated with the worship of the snake goddess Manassa.
The dance begins when a young woman drinks the raw blood of a pigeon and goes into a trance and starts the dance with slow movements. She goes on dancing, accompanied by Kham (drum) and Ciphung (flute). The dance is for appeasing many deities beginning and ending with Lord Shiva. As the tempo of the music increases, the dance became faster and the dancer spins the whole body like a top and twists the neck, imitating a snake. This goes on till the dancer falls exhausted into a swoon.
There are two types of Deodhani Nritya, one is semi classical type and other is trance. Occasionally, the woman dancer takes a sword and a shield and performs a war dance.
