East India · Mithila, Bihar; Nepal TeraiFolkMaithil and Musahar
In the villages of Mithila a sacred tree to the west, a peepal or a banyan, is the seat of Brahm Baba, the guardian of the settlement. He is honoured at the start of every wedding, with earthen pots, threads and sweets laid at the roots, and he has his own music: the Jhijhiya dance of the Musahar community and the Maithil songs called Brahman Geet. The name suggests the creator, but the tradition does not: the encyclopedia treats Brahm Baba as a form of Vishnu and a folk deity of the Maithil and tribal countryside.