Marbat: Nagpur’s Unique Tradition of Protest, People and Cultural Memory

Every city has festivals.

Every city has traditions.

But there are very few cities where a festival becomes a living expression of public opinion, social memory and resistance.

Nagpur has one such extraordinary tradition — Marbat.

Celebrated on Tanha Pola, the day after Pola, the Marbat procession brings together enormous effigies, thousands of citizens, music, slogans and social commentary. The effigies are eventually burnt, symbolically taking away the evils, suffering and negativity of society. The Government of Maharashtra describes Marbat as an important festival of Nagpur in which representations of evil are taken in procession and burnt as a belief that the city will be freed from negativity.

But Marbat is much more than a religious or folk festival.

It is Nagpur speaking.

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“ईडा-पीडा घेऊन जा गे मारबत…”

The traditional call associated with the procession captures its essence:

> ईडा-पीडा घेऊन जा गे मारबत,

दुःख-कष्ट सारे नेऊन जा गे मारबत।

सुख-शांती भरून दे जा गे मारबत।

Take away our troubles, O Marbat.

Take away all our suffering and hardships.

And fill our lives with happiness and peace.

These words explain why the tradition has survived for generations.

The Marbat is not merely an object being carried through the streets. It becomes a symbolic carrier of everything society wants to remove.

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From Evil Spirits to Colonial Resistance

The roots of the tradition are older than its political interpretation.

Historically, Marbat was associated with the belief of driving away evil forces, disease and misfortune. Over time, however, the festival acquired another powerful meaning — a way for ordinary people to express dissent.

The modern Marbat tradition is generally traced to the late 19th century. The Kali Marbat is associated with 1881, while the Pili Marbat followed in 1885. This makes the tradition approximately 145 years old in 2026.

During the British period, these giant effigies became vehicles for expressing anger against colonial rule.

The Pili Marbat, traditionally associated with the Tarhane Teli community, came to represent British oppression and other forms of injustice. The Kali Marbat acquired a political association with Bakabai of the Bhonsle royal family and her association with the British.

In an age when openly protesting against colonial authority could invite serious consequences, the procession provided a remarkable public space for collective expression.

The street became the newspaper.

The effigy became the editorial.

And the procession became the voice of the people.

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Why Are There Two Marbats?

The two principal figures of the festival are the Kali Marbat and Pili Marbat.

The Pili Marbat is traditionally represented as a large female figure and is associated with protection, disease and, historically, resistance to British rule.

The Kali Marbat has a different historical narrative and is associated with the Bhonsle-era political memory surrounding Bakabai.

Over time, however, their meanings have evolved.

They have become larger-than-life symbols of the city's collective desire to remove disease, injustice, corruption, social evils and misfortune.

The Ministry of Tourism also identifies the black and yellow Marbats as symbolic representations of evil, carried through the historic lanes of Itwari and eastern Nagpur before being burnt.

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And Then Came the “Badgya”

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Marbat is that the tradition did not remain frozen in history.

Every generation has found its own “evil” to portray.

This is where the Badgya enters the story.

Badgyas are smaller effigies representing contemporary social, political and economic problems. They allow the festival to respond to the concerns of its own time.

Inflation.

Corruption.

Disease.

Political controversies.

Social injustice.

Public problems.

Whatever troubles society, it can potentially find a place in the Marbat procession.

Recent celebrations have continued this tradition of using Badgyas for sharp social and political commentary.

That makes Marbat remarkably contemporary despite its age.

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A Festival That Belongs to the Streets

For me, as an architect and conservationist, the most fascinating aspect of Marbat is not only the effigies.

It is the urban experience.

The procession moves through the old neighbourhoods of Nagpur — through streets, chowks, markets and historic parts of the city.

Thousands of people gather.

The scale of the effigies changes the perception of the streets. Ordinary roads become ceremonial spaces. Chowks become gathering points. Buildings become temporary viewing galleries.

For a few hours, the historic city becomes a stage.

This is why festivals such as Marbat are important to understand when we talk about urban heritage.

Heritage is not only a fort, palace or temple.

Heritage is also the way a city gathers.

Heritage is the route people remember.

Heritage is the festival that brings generations into the same street.

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A Living Cultural Heritage of Nagpur

The Marbat tradition has survived colonialism, Independence, urbanisation, technological change and generations of social transformation.

Yet the procession continues.

The effigies continue to be made.

The slogans continue.

The crowds continue to gather.

And every year, Nagpur finds something new to put on the shoulders of its Badgya.

That is what makes Marbat a living heritage.

It is not preserved behind glass.

It is not displayed inside a museum.

It lives in the hands of artisans, in the voices of citizens and in the streets of Nagpur.

The Government of Maharashtra recognises Marbat as a distinctive cultural tradition of the city, while the Ministry of Tourism highlights its unique combination of ritual, symbolism, procession and community participation.

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Why Should We Preserve Marbat?

As cities modernise, traditions that do not fit neatly into the conventional definition of “heritage” are often forgotten.

Marbat reminds us that conservation should not only mean protecting buildings.

We must also conserve:

the stories,

the routes,

the rituals,

the craftsmanship,

the memories,

and the collective emotions attached to a place.

If we lose these, we may preserve the physical city but lose its soul.

Nagpur's Marbat is therefore not simply an annual procession.

It is a historical record written by ordinary citizens.

It tells us about colonial resistance.

It tells us about folk beliefs.

It tells us about community organisation.

It tells us about craftsmanship.

It tells us about Nagpur's streets.

And most importantly, it tells us that people have always found ways to speak.

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The Story Continues

Every year, the Marbat is carried through Nagpur.

And every year, something is left behind in the fire.

Perhaps it is an old fear.

Perhaps an injustice.

Perhaps a social evil.

Perhaps simply the worries of everyday life.

But the next morning, Nagpur wakes up again.

The streets return to normal.

The effigies are gone.

But the story remains.

And perhaps that is the true meaning of Marbat:

> “ईडा-पीडा घेऊन जा गे मारबत,

दुःख-कष्ट सारे नेऊन जा गे मारबत।

सुख-शांती भरून दे जा गे मारबत।”

A tradition of nearly one and a half centuries —

still walking, still speaking, and still belonging to Nagpur.

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About the Author

Ar. Sandeep Sanjeev Pathe is an architect and conservation architect working through Studio Sakha, with a focus on architectural conservation, heritage research, documentation and cultural narratives.

Through The Nagpur Tales, he explores the stories of Nagpur's people, places, traditions and living heritage

[Studio Sakha — www.studiosakha.org]i

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