Bhili Mahabharata: A Subaltern Narrative and Retelling of the Great Indian Epic Mahabharata

Abstract

The Mahabharata has deeply shaped the Indian social, political, ethical, and cultural identity. It’s not merely an epic but a living tradition, unifying the past and the present of India. Indian Society is a very diverse society so the different ethnic and linguistic groups have their unique cultural traditions and their different versions of the great Indian classics; the Western Indian Dungri Bheel tribe also has their version of The Mahabharata and it is known as Bhili Mahabharata or Bheel Bharat. This Research Paper focuses on the Bhili Mahabharata, the retelling and distinct narrative of The Mahabharata by the Bheel tribe from Gujarat. Bhili Mahabharata, orally transmitted in the Bhili language through generation to generation, is an alternate narrative of the great Sanskrit Epic. The Bheel tribe has been singing the tales of The Mahabharata for centuries in their folklore, songs and dances but these folktales are different, unique and localised narratives, the heroes, plots, narrative arc, subplots and actions are distinct, and the characters’ behaviour is more human and ordinary. The Bheel Bharat is a retelling of the great epic which encompasses the collective Indian memory therefore as a retelling or alternate narrative, it enriches Indian memory and literature through its different and unique account of the events as the Bheel tribe has known it for centuries. The characters of the Bhili Mahabharata are intensely emotional and passionate people, the storyline is different, distinctive from the popular standard version, it is infused with rusticity and simplicity of the tribal life. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the tribal, marginalised culture of the Dungri Bheels and their version of The Mahabharata, to highlight the beauty and uniqueness of the marginalised folk literature, assertion of the subaltern voices, and to analyse this divergent version of The Mahabharata.