The 'Madai' festival, a series of tribal fairs honouring local deities, is celebrated in which region?

The Madai festival is a series of tribal fairs celebrated in the Bastar region of southern Chhattisgarh and in neighbouring parts of the state, such as Kanker and Narayanpur. The Madais are held from about December to March, after the harvest, and they move from one village or town to another during the season.

Madai is a festival dedicated to the local deities (devis and devtas) of the tribal communities, especially the village goddesses, who are believed to protect the villages, the crops and the people. Each Madai is held at a particular place on a fixed day, and the deities of the surrounding villages are invited to attend. The deities, represented by decorated poles, umbrellas (chhatras) and other symbols, are carried by the priests and devotees in colourful processions, accompanied by the music of drums and pipes. The tribal people, such as the Gonds, Murias, Marias, Halbas and Bhatras, gather in large numbers, dressed in their best clothes. They offer prayers, make offerings, and celebrate with dancing, singing and feasting.

The Madai is also a large market (haat) and social gathering. People buy and sell goods such as tools, household items, jewellery, cloth and food, and they meet relatives and friends. The Madai of Narayanpur is one of the biggest and best known. Some of the Madais are also associated with the Bastar Dussehra and with the worship of Goddess Danteshwari.

Bastar is known for its rich tribal culture, its dense forests, waterfalls such as the Chitrakote Falls on the Indravati river (often called the "Niagara of India") and the Tirathgarh Falls, and its crafts, especially Dhokra (bell metal) art and wrought iron work.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Kutch (Gujarat) is known for the Rann Utsav.
• ✗Malwa (Madhya Pradesh) is known for the Malwa Utsav.
• ✗Mithila (Bihar) is known for Madhubani painting and festivals such as Sama Chakeva.