Bhadu (festival)
Bhadu is a social festival in southern West Bengal, India. It is celebrated during the Hindu month of Bhadro, starting on the first day and continuing through the month. The festival centers on the legend of Bhadravati, a princess who mysteriously disappeared. Devotees make an image of Bhadravati and sing and dance before it throughout the month, and on the last day the image is immersed in a river.
The main focus is Bhadu gaan, songs about marriage and love. Both professional and amateur singers take part, and fairs and cultural programs are held during the celebrations. Bhadu is mainly celebrated in Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, and Bardhaman districts of West Bengal.
Legend says Bhadu is the living embodiment of goddess Lakshmi. She was found as an orphan by the chief of Lada village and raised as a princess. Bhadu loves Anjan, the son of a doctor from a neighboring village, but the king disapproves and imprisons him. Bhadu and two companions travel around the kingdom, singing at gates and forts in the hope that Anjan will hear her. The king frees Anjan, but Bhadu disappears, said to have faded away into the sky.
Bhadu gaan are improvised songs that reflect rural life. They are traditionally sung by unmarried girls, since Bhadu herself is unmarried, and are accompanied by dancing and drums. The songs describe Bhadu and how she will be entertained.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:21 (CET).