Hojagiri Dance

Hojagiri is the signature folk dance of the Reang (Bru) people of Tripura, distinguished by extraordinary balance: dancers perform atop an earthen pitcher while balancing a bottle and a lit lamp on their head.

Only the lower half of the body moves; the upper body and head must remain perfectly still throughout the performance.

Hojagiri is performed on the second day of the Hojagiri festival, a worship of Lakshmi celebrated on the full moon of the Bengali month of Ashwin.

Long restricted to Reang villages, it gained national recognition in the 1980s and is now Tripura's most exported folk dance.

The Reangs (Bru) are one of the oldest indigenous tribes of Tripura, a Tibeto-Burman community living mainly in North and South Tripura districts.

Hojagiri is performed by young girls and women; songs are accompanied by men playing the kham drum and bamboo flute.

• Dancers wear the rinai (lower wrap) and risa (chest cloth) in red, black and yellow handloom stripes.
• Coin necklaces, brass bangles and earrings are added; a single fresh flower is tucked behind the ear.

• Hojagiri Puja — full moon of Ashwin (September–October).
• Tripura state cultural showcases and the Kharchi festival.

• Reang villages of North and South Tripura — Jampui Hills and Gandacherra.
• Agartala — Tripura state cultural showcases.
• Tribal Cultural Research Institute, Agartala.

A curated gallery of Hojagiri Dance. Images are placeholders until license-cleared photographs are sourced.