ABSTRACT
A fertility ritual known as the Hudum Deo is practised among the Koch Rajbangshis, an ethnic community living in the Eastern and North Eastern provinces of India, that involves dance performances. This chapter discusses the ritual in some detail. It is carried out during a prolonged drought and is performed by naked women who, in the context of this ritual, exert power over the deity and cause him to shower rain. A section is devoted to how the ritual dance of the Hudum Deo is danced and this is followed by a detailed explanation of its structure and music.
