The entire state throbs ceaselessly with a raw vitality and intensity. The primitive clans of Bastar region celebrate Dussehra, exhibiting their singularity and religion. If he chooses a maiden, he conveys his intention by offering a betel leaf to the girl. If she accepts, the two elope in the time-honoured tradition to set up their house together.
Cockfights are a perennial side-show.
The dancing is uninhibited, and the revelry, carefree. Also, haats or roadside markets are places of soiree and revelry. The Gonds, who are the most ancient of the Bastar tribes, have an annual festival they call Ghotul, in which unmarried boys and girls are allowed to live together in a dormitory, to select their mates, and gain valuable experience to set up their own households. Along the banks of the Narmada River, are situated some of the holiest shrines of the Hindus. Devotees of Lord Shiva celebrate Shivaratri with unusual fervour in Khajuraho, Bhojpur and Panchmarhi.