Dumre (Tanahun), 25 January: A municipality in Tanahun has joined hands to preserve the Kauraha (Kaura) dance, which is famous throughout the country. Rishing Rural Municipality, considered a remote area of the district, has joined hands to preserve the Kauraha dance, which is popular among the Magar community.
With the aim of preserving and promoting the Kauraha dance, which is believed to have originated in the municipality, the rural municipality is organizing competitions every year, making documentaries, and training homestay operators to preserve it. Rural municipality chair Rajendra Krishna Shrestha said that since the Kauraha dance originated in the rural municipality, competitions have been held every year to preserve, promote, and promote it, and a documentary has been made to involve the new generation in its preservation.
According to him, for the protection and promotion of this dance, an open Kauraha dance competition has been approved by the executive meeting on Magh 20 in Pokharibhanjyang, the place where the main administrative office of the rural municipality is located.
“The rural municipality is organizing an open competition with the aim of preserving the Kauraha culture and tradition that originated from Rishing,” he said. “Along with this, we are also trying to link culture with income.” He informed that the first, second, third and consolation winners in the competition will be awarded Rs 70,000, Rs 45,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 10,000 and certificates respectively.
Chairman Shrestha said that this dance is included in every program of the municipality and that guests and participants are welcomed with this dance. Shrestha said, “We start every public program organized by the rural municipality with the Kauraha dance.” He said that this dance, which was popular only among the Magar community in the past, is now becoming popular not only in various parts of the country but also abroad.
According to Yam Bahadur Ale, a resident of Belbas, Byas Municipality-13, who has studied and researched the Kauraha dance, it originated in Rishing and was expanded by people migrating from here to various parts of the country and abroad.
Recently, the rural municipality has been organizing various programs to develop the capacity of the locals and highlight the identity of different communities, said Bijay Darai, spokesperson of the rural municipality. He said that the rural municipality is taking the lead in preserving the Kauraha dance as it originated from Rishing village, which is dominated by the Magar community. This dance is also included in various places and school programs.
The legend of the Kauraha dance
This municipality is located in a remote area. Most of the places in this rural municipality are surrounded by large mountains. In the past, when people went to get water, they had to wait in line for hours at small wells. Thus, the Magar villagers decided to dance and sing instead of waiting for their turn to collect water in the wells, and the researchers say that the ‘Pani Kuruwa Nach’ came to be known as ‘Kuruwa Nach’ and over time, it became ‘Kauraha Nach’. It is also called ‘Kanraha’ in the Magar language.
Earlier, during festivals, it was the custom for Magars to gather at the house of the Jimbal or the chief, dance and sing, and then return after having a feast. When the Magars reached the Jimbal or the chief, they would say ‘Kanaraha’, meaning ‘We have come’. It is also said that Kanaraha later became Kauraha through corruption. Similarly, according to another story, since Magar young men and women would gather and dance and sing, it is said that ‘young women of middle age will dance’, and over time it became ‘Kauraha’.
This dance is not only a part of one caste but is also a tradition among most castes to dance and sing as part of entertainment. Elders of the Magar community say that this has helped in the dissemination, preservation, promotion and promotion of the Kauraha dance.
