Kaura (dance)

"Kauda" redirects here. For the Estonian village, see Kauda, Estonia.

Kaura

Kaura dance performance at Everest Day New York 2019
Native name	कौह्रा
Genre	Nepalese folk dance
Inventor	Magars
Origin	Tanahun

Kaura, also known as Kauraha, is a folk musical performance indigenous to the Western hilly regions of Nepal. Kaura was originated in the Magar community of Rishing Tanahun. Kaura is originally called Kaan Raha which simply means हामी आयौं in Magar Dhut. Kaura is performed from mid-January to mid-June (Maghe Sankranti to Asare Purnima) during celebration of various festivities. Apart from that, it is also performed during marriage ceremony, rice feeding ceremony and naming ceremony, among other occasions.

Kaura has its roots in the western region of Nepal, including Tanahun, Syangja, Palpa, Nawalpur, Gorkha and Chitwan districts where the Magars community are largely inhabited. However, in present day we can see the dance performed all around Nepal and also internationally with the motive to save the culture in countries like the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, Australia where a large number of Magar people have migrated.

Talking about the authenticity of the Kaura performance, “The female dancers should be in odd number, starting from minimum three to maximum 13. Only unmarried women were allowed or considered suitable to participate in the performance, while both married & unmarried men could perform.

In Kaura, one verse is sung multiple times to create rhythm for the dancers. It was often mandatory for men to sing to the rhythm of the instrument Khaijadi while women to dance, wearing Jharra in their legs.

Although associated with its distinctive costume, musical instruments and prosody, some have expressed concern that Kaura is losing its authenticity due to perversions introduced by commercialization and external influence, while others have been more optimistic deeming the changes a natural part of the cultural evolution and increasing popularity.

See also

• Maruni
• Deuda