{"id":1661,"date":"2023-04-04T14:30:47","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T09:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.hinterscapes.com\/?p=1661"},"modified":"2023-06-23T12:11:46","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T06:41:46","slug":"virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"Virbhadra or Veerbhadra Dance Form of Goa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Goa pays homage to Lord Shiva<\/strong> through various forms of worship, including the veneration of his attendants. Virbhadra<\/em><\/strong>, who is considered one of Parvati <\/strong>and Lord Shiva’s sons<\/strong>, is one such attendant revered in Goa. Although there is no dedicated temple or shrine in Goa for Virbhadra<\/strong><\/em>, the deity is held in high esteem and a Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>folk dance is performed during various celebrations across different parts of Goa. The tradition of worshipping Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>and performing the Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>folk dance signifies the influence of Karnataka on Goan culture. The establishment of the Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>folk dance in Goa is believed to have occurred during the Vijaynagar empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year, people in Bicholim, Ponda <\/strong>and Sanguem<\/strong> talukas perform the Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>folk dance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Virbhadra Festival is Celebrated in Bicholim Taluka of Goa?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bicholim <\/strong>town marks the day before Gudi Padwa<\/em>, the Hindu New Year, with the Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>folk dance. Bordem <\/em>showcases a presentation of Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>on the final day of shigmo<\/em>, while Vithalapur <\/em>near Sanquelim <\/em>hosts a performance during the full moon day of the first month of the Hindu calendar, also known as Chaitra Utsav<\/em>. The establishment of the Shri Vithal<\/strong> temple in Karapur <\/em>dates back to 1392 AD, and the deity is a popular form of Lord Vishnu<\/strong> responsible for promoting the Bhakti <\/em>culture in Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and other southern regions of India. Shri Vitthal <\/em>played a significant role in uniting the two sections of Shaivaites and Vaishnavites, and hence, the Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>dance is performed in the vicinity of the Shri Vithal<\/strong> temple near Sanquelim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"folk
Person Performing Veerabhadra Dance during Shigmoutsav in Goa<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>folk dance of Vithalapur <\/em>draws a large crowd in Goa, where a folk artist dressed in royal costumes and a cardboard with small flags tied to him performs the dance. Accompanied by the beats of the dhol, taso<\/em>, and kasale<\/em>, the artist wears a crown on his head, has long hair, and his face is painted to resemble Virbhadra<\/em><\/strong>. During the performance, the artist wields two swords as if engaged in battle, and his aggressive demeanor creates a sense of fear in the audience. This dance, along with Ghodemodni <\/em>and Viramel<\/em>, reflects the influence of warfare on the local communities. Following the dance, a chariot procession takes place, making it a highly popular event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veerabhadra Celebrations during Shigmo at Ponda, Goa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of people gathers at the Shree Vithoba temple<\/strong> at Ponda <\/em>to witness Veerbhadra <\/em><\/strong>walk barefoot on fire. A tradition that came to the coastal state from Karnataka nearly 200 years ago. There is no temple in Goa dedicated to Veerbhadra<\/em><\/strong>. But Virabhadra <\/em><\/strong>is regarded here as the son of Lord Shiva<\/strong>, he is remembered during the spring festival of Shigmo<\/em>. Veerabhadra <\/em><\/strong>was worshipped by Lingayat kings from Karnataka who ruled Goa for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suggested Read: Sotreo \u2013 An Umbrella Festival of Goa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Ponda, after the performance of Navaro-Vhakal<\/em>, there is a Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>performance. In other parts of Ponda<\/em>, the Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>is performed during the Paush<\/em>, tenth month of the Hindu calendar on the occasion of the eco-feministic festival of dhalo<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virabhadra Dance at Sanguem, Goa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Sanguem<\/strong>, on the day of Gudi Padwa<\/em>, Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>is performed by a member of the Kosambe <\/em>family. However, before Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>presentation, a girl dressed as goddess Saraswati <\/strong>rides on an effigy of a peacock and performs the enchanting dance of Saraswati<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Story Behind the Veerabhadra Dance in Goa | Significance of Virabhadra Festival of Goa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to a mythological tale, Daksha<\/em>, the father of goddess Parvati<\/em>, held a ceremony of sacrifice to which all gods and goddesses were invited, except for Lord Shiva<\/strong>. When Parvati <\/strong>and Shiva <\/strong>arrived at the event, Daksha <\/em>publicly insulted them. This lead Parvati <\/em>to jump into the burning fire and turn to ashes. In response, Shiva <\/em>created Virbhadra<\/em><\/strong>, who not only destroyed the sacrificial ceremony but also unleashed a reign of terror. The Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>folk dance is performed in memory of this incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"virabhadra
Actor Inacting as Veerabhadra in Goa<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Virbhadra <\/em><\/strong>folk dance which is performed in many parts of Goa, reflects the martial arts tradition of the land. Virbhadra<\/em><\/strong>, is the representation of a deity associated with the battle field and his performance of dance is said to inspire the warriors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit our Website to know more about culture of Goa?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We at Hinterscapes <\/a>take you to a Goa tour from a different angle. Goa is beyond beaches and night life. Visit our website<\/a> and book your most affordable package which will give you a Goan feel of anything you do. Experience the real magic of Hinterland tourism in Goa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suggested Read: 14 Bizzare Festivals in Goa that will Leave You Thrilled<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow us on Instagram<\/a> to watch few amazing videos of unseen Goa. Also, stay tuned to our blog <\/a>to read more of such interesting articles about Goa. Please tell us in comments how you felt about this unique Goan festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Virabhadra is one of the traditional folk dance in Goa. Veerabhadra festival is celebrated during holi in Goa. Its is one of the main dance form of Goa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[86,44,94],"tags":[284,278,283,220,277,280,45,345,344,341,342,346,46,285,275,8,290,274,279,282,98,276,347,175,289,272,348,343],"yoast_head":"\nVirbhadra Dance of Goa - Unique Goan Folk Dance Culture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Virbhadra dance of Goa is a popular dance form during Shigmo festival. Veerabhadra folk dance shows a unique & rich culture of Goa. Read more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dances in Goa, Goa Dances, Folk Dances of Goa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Veerabhadra is a Folk Dance of Goa That Tell A Story With Every Move. It is celebrated in many villages of Goa during Shigmoutsav. It is a part of festivals celebrated during Holi festival in Goan villages.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HinterScapes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hinterscapes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-04T09:00:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-23T06:41:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/traditional-folk-dances-of-goa-virabhadra.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Team HinterScapes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Traditional Festivals of Goa Where You can Dance in Trance\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Veerabhadra is a Folk Dance of Goa That Tell A Story With Every Move. It is celebrated in many villages of Goa during Shigmoutsav. It is a part of festivals celebrated during Holi festival in Goan villages.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/traditional-folk-dances-of-goa-virabhadra.png\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Virbhadra Dance of Goa - Unique Goan Folk Dance Culture","description":"Virbhadra dance of Goa is a popular dance form during Shigmo festival. Veerabhadra folk dance shows a unique & rich culture of Goa. Read more.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dances in Goa, Goa Dances, Folk Dances of Goa","og_description":"Veerabhadra is a Folk Dance of Goa That Tell A Story With Every Move. It is celebrated in many villages of Goa during Shigmoutsav. It is a part of festivals celebrated during Holi festival in Goan villages.","og_url":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/","og_site_name":"HinterScapes","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hinterscapes","article_published_time":"2023-04-04T09:00:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-06-23T06:41:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/traditional-folk-dances-of-goa-virabhadra.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Team HinterScapes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Traditional Festivals of Goa Where You can Dance in Trance","twitter_description":"Veerabhadra is a Folk Dance of Goa That Tell A Story With Every Move. It is celebrated in many villages of Goa during Shigmoutsav. It is a part of festivals celebrated during Holi festival in Goan villages.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/traditional-folk-dances-of-goa-virabhadra.png","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/"},"author":{"name":"Team HinterScapes","@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4e78a756a3f900e4c49512eb48a883e7"},"headline":"Virbhadra or Veerbhadra Dance Form of Goa","datePublished":"2023-04-04T09:00:47+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-23T06:41:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/"},"wordCount":825,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/traditional-folk-dances-of-goa-virabhadra.png","keywords":["bizzare festivals in goa","Crazy Festivals In Goa","Enchanting Festivals in Goa","explore goa beyond beaches","Famous Festivals Of Goa","Festivals Celebrated In Goa","festivals of Goa","folk art of goa","folk tradition of goa","goa festival information","goa festival wikipedia","Goa's most-loved folk dances","goan culture","Goan Festivals beyond the Carnival","goan hindu festivals","hinterland tourism goa","life risky rituals of goa","main festival of goa","Main Traditional Goan Festivals","most famous festivals of goa","Off-season travel to Goa","Popular Festivals in Goa","Popular Folk Dances of Goa","Religious tourism in Goa","thrilling festival of goa","top 5 festival of goa","Traditional Goan Folk Dances","veerabhadra goa festival"],"articleSection":["About Goa","Festivals of Goa","Goan Culture"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/","url":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/","name":"Virbhadra Dance of Goa - Unique Goan Folk Dance Culture","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/traditional-folk-dances-of-goa-virabhadra.png","datePublished":"2023-04-04T09:00:47+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-23T06:41:46+00:00","description":"Virbhadra dance of Goa is a popular dance form during Shigmo festival. Veerabhadra folk dance shows a unique & rich culture of Goa. Read more.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/traditional-folk-dances-of-goa-virabhadra.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/traditional-folk-dances-of-goa-virabhadra.png","width":1280,"height":720,"caption":"virabhadra-dance of goa"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/virbhadra-folk-dance-of-goa-reflects-martial-arts-tradition\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Virbhadra or Veerbhadra Dance Form of Goa"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/","name":"HinterScapes","description":"Goa Holiday Packages | Goa Travel Guide for tourist | Goa Holiday Tips and Recommendation | Goa Sightseeing for Tourists | Things to do in Goa","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HinterScapes","url":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-hs_with_sun.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-hs_with_sun.png","width":453,"height":142,"caption":"HinterScapes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hinterscapes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hinterscapes\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4e78a756a3f900e4c49512eb48a883e7","name":"Team HinterScapes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/591618e01fee9b2a5fcc5577d7daf983?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/591618e01fee9b2a5fcc5577d7daf983?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Team HinterScapes"},"url":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/author\/sunayana17\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1661"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1661"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1908,"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1661\/revisions\/1908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hinterscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}