Chief Minister’s residence painted in the colours of the beautiful tradition of Hareli

A beautiful glimpse of Bastar and plain Chhattisgarh in the decoration centered on Sargujiha art

Hareli program decorated with Sawan swing, Geddi dance and exhibition of agricultural equipment

The program pavilion made attractive with colorful small Geddis, Neem and Mango leaves fringe

Raipur, 24 July 2025: In the tradition of Chhattisgarh, “Hareli” is a festival to pay homage to the connection between man and nature. When Hareli arrives, the fields and barns, villages and cities of Chhattisgarh, plows and oxen, children, youth and women all get filled with the joy of this festival. The gates of the Chief Minister’s residence of Chhattisgarh have also been decorated to welcome the Hareli festival, with which the festivals begin in Chhattisgarh. The entire Chief Minister’s residence has been painted in the color of the beautiful tradition of Hareli festival celebrated on Shravan Amavasya. There are three major parts of the decoration of the Chief Minister’s residence on Hareli. Entrance gate, central arch gate and main pavilion. The entrance gate has a glimpse of the metal art of Bastar. To welcome the people at this gate, there is a replica of Lord Ganesha in the middle of Chhattisgarh’s traditional trumpet and a horse made of metal art has also been carved. After the entrance gate, there is a Toran gate in the middle which is decorated with traditional Tokni. Along with this, colorful small flags are adding beauty in the form of Toran. In this part, a fringe of neem and mango leaves has been put as a symbol of Hareli tradition. The main attraction of the entire decoration is those small colorful Gadiyas, whose beautiful form is visible everywhere from here to the main pavilion.

The main pavilion gate has been made attractive with the colors of Sarguja art. The roof of this gate has been covered with para and beautiful paintings of Sargujiha wall art have been made. The wheel of a bullock cart decorated with many colors is also adding to the beauty of this gate. A traditional house of Chhattisgarh’s rural environment has been built in the left part of the main event pavilion. The courtyard of this house has been decorated with paintings of plain Chhattisgarh. There is Tulsi Chaura and Gaushala in the courtyard of the house, where cow dung cakes are kept along with traditional agricultural equipment like plough, hoe, Rapa, Gaiti, Tangia, Sabbal. The walls of this rural house are decorated with beautiful paintings of Rajwar painting of Surguja. The exhibition of agricultural equipment is the main attraction in the program pavilion. The special thing is that traditional and modern agricultural equipment have been displayed together in this exhibition. Equipment like Paddy Seeder, Juda, Biasi Plough, Tendua Plough and Tractor are displayed. On one hand, there is a part of traditional Chhattisgarhi cuisine and refreshments in the pavilion, while on the other hand, Sawan ka Jhula also reflects the joy of the rainy season of Sawan. The traditional Rahchuli swing of Chhattisgarh is also the center of attraction.

Traditional dances spreading the splendor of culture: On the occasion of Hareli, the splendor of traditional folk dances like Gidi dance and Raut Nacha are also spreading with captivating tunes in the Chief Minister’s residence. A group from Bilaspur has been invited for Gidi dance. The Gidi dance group is wearing Parsan clothes, a crown of peacock feathers on the head, a garland made of cowrie shells and porcelain and a jacket studded with cowrie shells. This group is presenting its performance in the melodious tune of Mandar, cymbals, jhumkas, khanjari, harmonium and flute. It is worth mentioning that Gidi dance starts on the day of Hareli. On the occasion of Hareli, a group of 50 people from Gadbera (Pithora) has reached the Chief Minister’s residence for Raut Nacha. While the men in this group are wearing dhoti-kurta with a turban with a plume on the head, cowrie shell studded armlets and a petti with ghungroos on the feet, the women have also reached with traditional makeup. Members of both these groups said that they eagerly wait to reach the Chief Minister’s residence on this occasion.