Behdienkhlam: Meghalaya’s Monsoon Festival That Wards Off Evil and Welcomes Abundance
Nestled in the lush, rain-soaked hills of Meghalaya, where the monsoon paints the landscape in endless shades of green, a spectacular festival bursts into life every July—the vibrant and ancient celebration known as Behdienkhlam. Rooted in tradition, spiritual fervor, and the rhythms of rural life, this festival is both a dramatic ritual to drive away evil and a jubilant welcome to the season of growth and abundance.
The Heart of the Festival: Purpose and Meaning
The word Behdienkhlam itself comes from the Pnar language, spoken by the Jaintia people of Meghalaya. Literally, it translates to “driving away the plague”—behdein meaning “to chase away” and khlam meaning “plague” or “disease.” The festival’s origin story is tied to a time when the hills were ravaged by cholera and similar epidemics. Communities believed that only collective rituals, prayers, and symbolic acts could dispel the forces of illness and ensure health, prosperity, and a good harvest.
But Behdienkhlam is not just about driving away misfortune. It is an annual reaffirmation of the faith, unity, and identity of the Pnar people. Deeply connected to the agrarian cycle, it is timed to take place a few days after the planting of rice—typically during the second week of July. The festival is the most important event for followers of the indigenous Niamtre faith in the Jaintia Hills, and its rituals are performed with the intention of seeking blessings from the deities for both the land and its people.
A Four-Day Extravaganza: Rituals and Symbolism
The festival spans three to four days, drawing people from villages across the Jaintia Hills, with the town of Jowai as the main stage for the grandest festivities.
Day 1: Cleansing Begins
The first day marks the start of purification rituals. Families clean their homes thoroughly, symbolically sweeping out illness and negativity. In many houses, offerings are made to ancestors, seeking their blessings for the season ahead.
Day 2: Beating Away Evil
On the second day, a unique and lively ritual unfolds. Groups of young men move from house to house, beating the rooftops with long bamboo sticks. This is not an act of vandalism, but a powerful communal ritual: the beating of the roofs is believed to literally and spiritually drive away evil spirits and misfortune. It is a scene of laughter, energy, and camaraderie, reinforcing social bonds as much as spiritual intentions.
Day 3: Cher Iung Blai—Slaying the Demons
A central highlight is the construction of a Cher Iung Blai, a special bamboo-and-grass hut erected in the community’s open space. Here, men enter, armed with spears, and act out the slaying of malevolent forces that might threaten the village. This ritual battle is deeply symbolic—the defeat of evil, chaos, and disease, clearing the way for health and prosperity.
Day 4: The Procession of the “Rots” and Games
The climactic day of Behdienkhlam is a feast for the senses. Each village or locality constructs its own “rot”—a towering, ornately decorated wooden pillar, sometimes over 30 feet tall. These “rots” are dazzling works of art, painted and embellished with motifs representing local history, beliefs, and creativity.
Villagers, dressed in traditional attire, carry these rots through the streets in a spirited procession, accompanied by the pulsating rhythms of drums and pipes. The procession converges at the sacred mud pool called Aitnar. Here, the rots are ritually immersed in the mud—a gesture believed to cleanse and protect the community. The mud, in the fertile imagination of the people, is a source of life and a barrier to evil.
After the immersion, an exuberant traditional game called Dad-Lawakor takes place. It resembles football, but instead of a regular ball, a giant wooden sphere is used. Teams representing different localities battle to score, their competition both friendly and fiercely passionate. Tradition holds that victory in this muddy contest will bring good fortune and a bountiful harvest to the winners.
Another dramatic contest is Iatan-Bhang, a tug-of-war using massive logs, played out in the mud, further reinforcing communal strength and unity.
The Role of Women
While men dominate the public face of Behdienkhlam, the role of women is no less important. Women do not participate in the dances or public rituals but are responsible for preparing special food offerings and performing domestic rites to honor ancestors and seek their favor. This division of roles underscores the festival’s nature as both a communal and familial affair.
Music, Dance, and the Monsoon Spirit
Music is the festival’s heartbeat. The pounding of drums and the wail of pipes accompany the dancers as they circle the Aitnar, their movements echoing prayers for rain, fertility, and protection. It is a festival in which the senses are saturated—the sights of towering rots, the scent of monsoon earth, the feel of mud, the sound of chanting and drumming—all creating an atmosphere of ecstatic community.
The timing of Behdienkhlam, during the thick of Meghalaya’s monsoon, is no accident. The rains are both a source of joy and a symbol of renewal. The monsoon, like the festival, is unpredictable, wild, and essential for the well-being of the land.
Cultural Significance and Living Heritage
Behdienkhlam is more than an ancient ritual—it is a living, evolving celebration that continues to bind the Jaintia community to its roots even as the modern world advances. It reinforces shared values of cooperation, resilience, respect for nature, and spiritual faith. For visitors, the festival offers a rare window into the soul of Meghalaya—a world where tradition and modernity coexist in harmony.
Each year, Behdienkhlam draws increasing numbers of travelers, researchers, and photographers. The festival’s artistry, color, and energy have made it a cultural landmark, yet it remains a deeply local, spiritual affair, guarded jealously by those who see it as the essence of their identity.
How to Experience Behdienkhlam
If you plan to witness Behdienkhlam, the best place is Jowai in the West Jaintia Hills, where the celebrations are at their grandest. The festival usually falls in early to mid-July, with dates shifting slightly each year based on the lunar calendar and agricultural cycles (for 2025, it is scheduled from July 11 to 14).
Travelers are welcome but should be respectful: dress modestly, ask before taking photos, and follow local customs, especially during rituals. Be prepared for rain—pack waterproof clothing and sturdy shoes for the muddy fields!
A Festival of Faith, Renewal, and Joy
Behdienkhlam is the beating heart of the Jaintia Hills—a celebration that blends the elemental forces of nature, the resilience of an ancient people, and the hopeful promise of a good harvest. In its rituals of cleansing, communal games, ancestral worship, and ecstatic music, it offers a vision of what it means to stand together against adversity and to welcome the blessings of the earth.
To witness Behdienkhlam is to experience Meghalaya at its most alive—where tradition is not a relic of the past, but a powerful force for community, hope, and joy in the monsoon-soaked present.
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