What is Bhondla, and how to hold one in your society
About 60 minutes
Bhondla — also called Hadga or Bhulabai — is a Maharashtrian tradition in which girls and women gather during Navratri and sing in a circle around a drawing of an elephant. It begins in Ashwin, from the day the Hasta nakshatra starts, and is played through the nine days of Navratri and on Dussehra; in some places until Kojagiri Purnima. It opens with the song "Ailama Pailama" and ends with a game of guessing the khirapat, the snack the host has brought. In 2026 Navratri begins on Sunday 11 October.
Steps
- 1
Choose the place and time
A society courtyard, the clubhouse, or anyone’s large living room, in the evening after aarti; half an hour to an hour is enough. In many societies bhondla moves to a different home each day, which also means a different khirapat.
- 2
Draw the elephant on a pat
Set a low wooden pat in the middle and draw an elephant on it in rangoli, chalk or grain, or place a picture or figure of one. The elephant stands for the Hasta nakshatra; it is offered haldi-kunku and flowers.
- 3
Form the circle and sing
Girls and women hold hands and circle the elephant. The first song is always "Ailama Pailama Ganesh Deva", a salutation to Ganpati; after it come the bhondla songs each family has kept. The words your grandmother sings are the right ones.
- 4
Guess the khirapat
The host brings the khirapat covered. Starting from "sweet or savoury?", everyone names dishes until someone guesses it, and then it is shared out.
- 5
A last bhondla together
On Dussehra or on Kojagiri — whichever your area keeps — the whole society holds the last bhondla together. Many societies keep small prizes for the youngest girls on this day.
Bhondla, Hadga, Bhulabai — one tradition
Different parts of Maharashtra keep the same tradition under different names: Bhondla, Hadga (Hatga) and Bhulabai. The songs and details differ by region; in most places the elephant, the circle, the songs and the khirapat are shared.
The Hasta nakshatra brings the retreating monsoon rain that matters for the crops, which is why its symbol, the elephant, is worshipped.
About the songs
Bhondla songs are folk songs, passed on by voice rather than in print, so the words differ between families and villages. They are deliberately not printed here: what your family sings is correct.
To teach the songs to new girls, ask the senior women in the society to sing on the first evening and have someone record it — that recording is the most valuable thing you will have next year.
Common questions
- When is Bhondla?
- From the start of the Hasta nakshatra in Ashwin; in most places through the nine days of Navratri and on Dussehra, in some until Kojagiri Purnima. In 2026 Navratri runs from Sunday 11 to Monday 19 October, and Dussehra is Tuesday 20 October.
- Why an elephant?
- The elephant is the symbol of the Hasta nakshatra, whose retreating monsoon rain is counted as important for the crops, so it is worshipped to begin the bhondla.
- What is khirapat?
- The snack shared at the end of the bhondla. It is brought covered and everyone tries to guess it, starting with "sweet or savoury?"; it is shared out once someone does.
- Is Bhondla the same as Garba?
- No. Both are danced in a circle during Navratri, but garba is Gujarati and circles the Devi, while bhondla is Maharashtrian, circles an elephant, and has its own songs and the khirapat.