Photo Essay by Archie Joshi, Harsh Choudhary, Gautam Dabi, and
Shubham Porwal
Every year, shortly after Janmashtami, the industrial town of Nagda in Madhya Pradesh transforms into a moving landscape of faith and collective celebration. The occasion is Jal Jhulni Dhol Gyaras Utsav, locally known as Dhol Gyaras, a festival dedicated to Lord Vishnu and observed on the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada. According to popular belief, this is the day when Vishnu turns in his cosmic sleep, symbolising transformation and new beginnings. Though the festival is deeply rooted in faith and devotion, its contemporary form has been shaped by generations of people who have added their own creative practices to it. What began as a religious observance gradually grew into a shared cultural experience of the community.
Nagda: The Setting
Nagda is a quiet town located on the banks of the Chambal River. For most residents, it is a simple place that moves at its own pace. The river changes with the seasons. In summer, the water recedes, and stretches of it resemble a lake. People often gather around it and enjoy the scenery. By the time the monsoon arrives, the river swells with water and takes on a completely different character, becoming a powerful presence in the town.
Nagda is also historically significant as the site of one of independent India’s earliest fibre industries. The town itself is often understood through a spatial divide: the bustling mandi area and the industrial sector, each representing different rhythms of everyday life. Yet during Dhol Gyaras, these distinctions blur as people from across the town participate in a shared celebration.
A Festival of Devotion
At its core, Jal Jhulni Dhol Gyaras is a religious observance dedicated to Lord Vishnu. People fast, offer prayers, and worship his various avatars. Yet what stands out most is how the festival brings the entire town together. In the days leading up to it, families and community groups prepare idols and organise processions that pass through familiar streets and neighbourhoods.
One of the most striking sights is the jhaaki procession. Idols are placed on decorated carts, vehicles, and tractors that move slowly through the town. Each jhaaki reflects the effort and imagination of the people who create it. As the procession travels, ordinary roads turn into spaces of celebration where faith and art come together.
The Story of Its Origins
Listening to local accounts, another story about the festival’s beginnings emerges. A priest from an old temple in Nagda is remembered as having struggled to maintain the temple with limited resources. To seek support, he travelled through the town with a small cart carrying a clay idol and the sound of a dhol. Residents offered food, money, and other necessities. What began as a practical act of survival slowly became an annual practice.
As more people participated, the procession evolved. The simple cart gave way to small vehicles, then larger ones, and eventually tractors carrying elaborate structures. Over time, these moving displays developed into the jhaakis that are now one of the defining features of the festival. Looking at them today, it is difficult not to see them as more than decorative objects. They carry traces of collective effort and the many ways a community reshapes a tradition across generations.
Akhada: Performance Within the Festival
Today, many people associate the festival with the Akhada performances that accompany it. Yet the Akhada is only one part of a much larger celebration. Older residents recall a time when the festival was centred mainly on devotional processions, dhol music, and the movement of idols through the town. Over the years, pehelwans (wrestlers), local performers, and Akhada groups became part of the festivities. Small circles of spectators formed around them as they demonstrated strength and endurance.
What started as small gatherings of five or ten onlookers gradually expanded into crowds numbering hundreds. Today, performances continue through the night, often from 9 p.m. until dawn. Through the night, performers occupy the streets while audiences spill onto stairways, terraces, and balconies, turning the town itself into a viewing gallery.
Where streets become stage
The performances are not only for entertainment. Different Akhada groups compete with one another through their gymnastic displays, formations, and physical feats. As the night progresses, the groups make their way towards the main stage, where they give their final performance before judges and spectators. Securing the first prize carries considerable prestige. The competition often becomes a major topic of conversation across the town the following day, with people discussing which group performed best, who deserved to win, and the most memorable moments of the night.
In this way, the Akhada has become both a cultural spectacle and a source of local pride.
Conclusion
Jal Jhulni Dhol Gyaras Utsav is more than a religious observance. It is a living example of how traditions evolve through community participation. From a priest’s humble fundraising journey to large-scale processions and overnight performances, the festival reveals the dynamic relationship between faith, place, memory, and cultural expression in contemporary Nagda.
The Akhada may capture attention through its spectacle, but it is the festival’s deeper history of devotion, collective effort, and transformation that continues to sustain it.
BIO: Archie Joshi is an ICSSR Research Assistant with a deep interest in folklore, culture, and literature. Her work focuses on policy analysis and development, with a particular emphasis on women’s empowerment and social change. She has also worked with Ahmedabad University as a Studio Associate. With an inquisitive mind and a creative approach, she enjoys connecting the dots and delving deeper into cultural inquiry.