Join professional musician and ethnomusicologist Dr. Jyoshna La Trobe, along with Sanjay Mahato, Village Headman, for a once-in-a-lifetime introduction to the music-culture and customs of Rarh, east India.
This spiritually-charged land, lying between the Chota Nagpur Plateau on the West and the Ganges Delta on the East, has been home to some of the world’s greatest saints and mystics, including Shiva, Krsna, Mahavir and others.
Now known for its beautiful adobe villages, unique dance and music heritage, astounding cultural and spiritual history and ancient Tantric traditions, it is a land like no other and offers a most fascinating view into the heart of ancient India.
Under the tutelage of tour guides, participants will experience a week like no other and will emerge with a new understanding of music, dance and the mystic life of the oldest remaining culture on earth.
Tour April 2026
Each day tour leaders will guide you highlight one or more aspect of the dynamic colourful music culture of Rarh, India, including:
- Performances given of the Bauls or ancient Tantrik mystic songs and dances.
- Experience the masked dance of the ancient warrior or Chhau.
- Visit Chorida the Chhau mask makers village, and participate in making your own incredible Chhau mask.
- Experience the ecstatic music and dance of kiirtan groups or ‘praise songs and dance’
- Experience the ancient Shiva Gajan Festival with all its rituals, dance and music.
- Experience life in a tribal village, with local arts and crafts in the making.
- Visit the ancient Shiva temples in Rarh, in Purulia and its surrounds.
What is not included
- Overseas and domestic travel to the starting point (Delhi).
- India visa.
- Personal travel insurance.
- Any extra food or expenditures for amenities, beyond those organised by the tour.
- Purchases of items along the way.
- Other goods and services not mentioned within the itinerary.
To download the itinerary and for more information, click here.