Karma Festival Wallpapers

Karma Festival is a major harvest and nature worship festival celebrated by the tribal communities of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Odisha. Observed on the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada (August-September), it is dedicated to the Karma deity represented by the Karam (Kadamba) tree. On the eve of the festival, young men and women observe a day-long fast and go to the forest to cut a branch of the Karam tree, which is ceremonially planted in the village dance ground (akhara). The priest performs rituals and narrates the Karam Katha — the legend of the Karma deity. The highlight is the all-night Karma dance performed by young tribal men and women around the Karam branch, singing traditional songs accompanied by the mandar drum. The dance continues until dawn when the Karam branch is immersed in a river or pond. The festival celebrates fertility, prosperity, and the bond between humans and nature in tribal worldview. It is particularly significant among the Oraon, Munda, Kharia, and Baiga tribes.