Western Bengali dialects
| Mānbhūmī Bengali | |
|---|---|
| Western Bengali Jharkhandi Bengali Chota Nagpuri Bengali | |
| মানভূমী বাংলা | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | West Bengal (Medinipur division, parts of Burdwan division and Presidency division); Jharkhand (Kolhan division, Santhal Pargana division, parts of North Chotanagpur division and Ranchi district); Odisha (Mayurbhanj District and Balasore District) |
Early forms | Gaudi Prakrit
|
| Bengali alphabet | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
Western Bengali or Mānbhūmī Bengali (Bengali: মানভূমী বাংলা, romanized: Mānbhūmī Bāṅlā, pronounced [manbʱuːmiː baŋla]) is a set of western vernacular Bengali dialects spoken in Purulia, West Bardhaman, Bankura (excluding Bishnupur), Greater Medinipur, Birbhum, Singhbhum, Santal Parganas, Chotanagpur, Kakdwip of South 24 Parganas and other adjacent areas of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha, previously Manbhum and Dhalbhum regions in Bengal Presidency. It is one of the Bengali dialects, having some influences of neighbouring dialects of Hindi and Odia in it.
Manbhumi Bengali has a rich tradition of folk songs sung in various occasions. Tusu songs are sung by village girls during a month-long observance of Tusu festival in villages of Purulia and some parts of Barddhaman, Bankura and Birbhum districts of West Bengal and parts of East Singhbhum, Saraikela Kharsawan, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Ranchi districts of Jharkhand. Bhadu songs, Karam songs, Baul songs and Jhumar songs are also composed in Manbhumi Bengali. Manbhumi Bengali songs are used by Chhau performers of Purulia School to depict various mythological events. Chhau is one of the distinguished dance forms of this geographical region which has been accorded the status of Intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2009.