Bhagait
About
Laali Saah (58) and Khattar Saah (57), folk singers from Chiknapatti village in Supaul district, Bihar, are key members of their village’s Bhagait troupe. Bhagait—also known as Bhagat—is a centuries-old religious folk-singing tradition of Mithila that fuses music, drama, and ritual in the Maithili language.
Bhagait is a devotional performance where ancestral deities (Devpurush) are invoked through powerful songs and dramatic enactments. Narratives celebrate legendary figures such as Dharma Raj, Jyoti, Karu Maharaj, Beni, Bisahair, Hariya Dom, and Meera Saheb. With vigorous singing, live dialogue, and trance-like moments where the Bhagat is believed to embody the deity, the ritual unites people across caste and religion. Though modern pressures threaten its survival, Bhagait remains a vibrant expression of Mithila’s spiritual and theatrical heritage.
