Riddles of Chhattisgarh (Janaula)
Chhattisgarhi riddles (janaula, paheli): form, occasions, worked examples with answers, and their value as oral literature for CGPSC Prelims and Mains.
Prerequisites
- Chhattisgarhi Language and Grammar Basics: you need the vocabulary (डोकरी, आँखी, मूड़, बिहनिया) to crack the riddles
- Idioms and Proverbs (Muhavare and Hana): riddles are the third member of the “short oral forms” family
- Folk Music, Dance, Theatre and Crafts: the wider oral tradition riddles belong to
The Hook: A Power Cut in Bemetara
The power goes out on a summer night in a Bemetara village. The children are restless, so their grandfather says: “बत्तीस ठन चौकीदार, बीच म एक रानी। बता तो का ए?” (Thirty-two guards, and a queen in the middle. Tell me, what is it?) Within a minute the children are opening and closing their mouths, counting teeth, and shouting “जीभ!” (the tongue).
That is a janaula (जनउला), a Chhattisgarhi riddle. What makes a riddle, why does every culture have them, and what do Chhattisgarh’s riddles tell us about the life of its people?
Why it matters: Prelims can ask for the Chhattisgarhi word for a riddle or a proverb. Mains Paper I can ask you to explain or solve a Chhattisgarhi riddle, and GS-IV values oral traditions as part of social life.
What Is a Janaula?
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | जनउला (janaula) in Chhattisgarhi; पहेली (paheli) in Hindi |
| Form | A short description, often rhymed or rhythmic, that hides an everyday object behind a puzzling image |
| Structure | Image (the “disguise”) + contradiction or clue + a challenge such as “बता तो का ए?” (tell me, what is it?) |
| Subjects | Body parts, household tools, crops, animals, nature (sky, sun, shadow) |
| Occasions | Evenings at home, children’s games, gatherings of friends and relatives, and in many communities playful exchanges at weddings |
| Who passes them on | Mostly grandparents to grandchildren, and age-mates to one another; the tradition is oral |
- Personification: the object is described as a person. “A one-eyed old woman who sews everyone’s clothes” is a needle.
- Contradiction: an impossible-sounding pair of facts. “It walks with you but you can’t catch it” is a shadow.
- Counting and pattern: numbers that match a real feature. “Thirty-two guards and a queen” fits 32 teeth and the tongue.
Janaula with Answers
The riddles below follow the traditional Chhattisgarhi pattern. Wording varies from village to village, and several have close Hindi counterparts, which is normal for oral literature shared across the Hindi belt. Try each one before opening the answer.
Body and home
1. बत्तीस ठन चौकीदार, बीच म एक रानी। बता तो का ए? (Thirty-two guards, and a queen in the middle.)
Answer
2. दू भाई संगे-संग रहिथें, फेर एक-दूसर ल कभू नइ देखँय। (Two brothers live side by side but never see each other.)
Answer
3. एक आँखी के डोकरी, जम्मो झन के कपड़ा सीथे। (A one-eyed old woman who sews everyone’s clothes.)
Answer
4. तेल ल पीथे, बाती ल खाथे, अँधियार ल भगाथे। (It drinks oil, eats the wick and chases away the dark.)
Answer
Field and forest
5. माटी म जनम, पानी म बाढ़, सोन कस रंग, घर-घर के भात। (Born in the soil, grown in water, gold in colour, it becomes every home’s rice.)
Answer
6. रतिहा म झरथे, बिहनिया बिनाथे, सुखा के बेचाथे। (It falls at night, is gathered at dawn, and is dried and sold.)
Answer
7. ऊपर कड़ा, भीतर कोंवर, ओकर भीतर मीठ पानी। (Hard outside, soft inside, and sweet water within.)
Answer
Nature
8. संग-संग रेंगथे, धरे म नइ आवय। (It walks with you, but you can never catch it.)
Answer
9. एक थारी मोती भरे, सबके मूड़ ऊपर उल्टा धरे। (A plate full of pearls, held upside down over everyone’s head.)
Answer
- Translate literally first (डोकरी = old woman, आँखी = eye).
- Ask what is being personified or what is impossible about the description.
- Look for numbers (32, 2, 4) and match them to a body part or object.
- Think local: paddy, mahua, the village pond (तरिया), the lamp, the grinding stone. Chhattisgarh’s riddles come from its own daily life.
Why Riddles Matter (Mains GS-IV and Essay)
- Cognitive training: riddles teach children to observe, compare and think laterally, a kind of informal education before school.
- Language learning: they build vocabulary and a feel for metaphor in the mother tongue, in line with the mother-tongue emphasis of the National Education Policy 2020.
- Social bonding: riddling is a group game across generations; it binds families and age-mates.
- A record of material culture: the objects in riddles (lamp, grinding stone, plough, mahua, paddy) document the household and economy of rural Chhattisgarh.
- Shared and local: some riddles are common to the whole Hindi belt; others, such as those on mahua or bamboo, are distinctly forest-and-paddy Chhattisgarh.
- At risk: television and phones have reduced evening storytelling; collecting riddles in schools and through the Chhattisgarhi Rajbhasha Aayog can help preserve them.
Memory Tricks
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Janaula (जनउला): riddle, a question with a hidden answer | Hana (हाना): proverb, a statement of wisdom | |
| Janaula: Chhattisgarhi word | Paheli (पहेली): Hindi word for the same form | |
| Riddle: tests the listener’s wit | Muhavara: decorates and sharpens a sentence |
Common Mistakes
Practice
These are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.
Level 1: Foundation
- The Chhattisgarhi word for a riddle is ________.
- Solve: “दू भाई संगे-संग रहिथें, फेर एक-दूसर ल कभू नइ देखँय।”
- Solve: “संग-संग रेंगथे, धरे म नइ आवय।”
Answers
- जनउला (janaula)
- आँखी (the eyes)
- छाँव (the shadow)
Level 2: Prelims MCQs
Q1. Match List-I (Chhattisgarhi term) with List-II (Meaning):
| List-I | List-II |
|---|---|
| A. हाना | 1. Riddle |
| B. जनउला | 2. Idiom |
| C. मुहावरा | 3. Proverb |
| D. जोहार | 4. A greeting |
(a) A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4 (b) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4 (c) A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4 (d) A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
Answer and explanation
Q2. Consider the following statements about Chhattisgarhi riddles (janaula):
- They are part of the oral tradition and are passed on mainly by word of mouth.
- They often describe an object as a person to disguise it.
- Their subjects are drawn only from Hindu mythology.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Q3. “रतिहा म झरथे, बिहनिया बिनाथे, सुखा के बेचाथे।” The answer to this riddle is most likely:
(a) Tendu leaf (b) Mahua flower (c) Sal seed (d) Paddy
Answer and explanation
Q4. “बत्तीस ठन चौकीदार, बीच म एक रानी” refers to:
(a) A king’s court (b) A beehive (c) The tongue (d) A chessboard
Answer and explanation
Level 3: Mains Answer Writing
Q1. What is a janaula? Explain with two examples. (60 words)
Definition: A janaula is a Chhattisgarhi riddle: a short, often rhythmic description that hides an everyday object behind a puzzling image.
Examples: “एक आँखी के डोकरी, जम्मो झन के कपड़ा सीथे” → needle (personification). “संग-संग रेंगथे, धरे म नइ आवय” → shadow (contradiction).
Value: sharpens observation and language; preserves rural material culture.
Q2. “Oral literature such as riddles and proverbs is a living archive of a society.” Examine with reference to Chhattisgarh. (150–200 words)
Intro: Much of Chhattisgarh’s literature is oral: songs, ballads such as Pandavani, proverbs (hana) and riddles (janaula).
Body:
- Economy: riddles on paddy and mahua, proverbs on sowing and Ashadh record an agrarian-forest economy.
- Society: proverbs on power (जेकर लाठी तेकर भइंसा) reveal social relations.
- Education: riddles train observation and language in the mother tongue.
- Identity: shared and local forms show Chhattisgarh’s place in the Hindi belt and its distinctness.
- Threats and remedies: decline of evening storytelling; documentation by schools, universities, the Rajbhasha Aayog and community radio; inclusion of tribal-language riddles.
Conclusion: Preserving these short forms preserves the knowledge, humour and values of the people; they deserve a place in classrooms and archives alike.
Quick Revision Table
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Chhattisgarhi word for riddle | जनउला (janaula) |
| Hindi word | पहेली (paheli) |
| Typical techniques | Personification, contradiction, counting |
| Closing challenge | “बता तो का ए?” (tell me, what is it?) |
| 32 guards and a queen | Tongue |
| One-eyed old woman who sews | Needle |
| Two brothers who never meet | Eyes |
| Falls at night, gathered at dawn | Mahua flower |
| Walks with you, can’t be caught | Shadow |
| Plate of pearls upside down | Sky and stars |
Key Takeaways
- A Chhattisgarhi riddle is a janaula; a proverb is a hana.
- Riddles disguise everyday objects through personification, contradiction and counting.
- Their subjects (paddy, mahua, lamp, needle) are a record of rural and forest life.
- They are oral literature with educational and social value, now at risk and worth documenting.
What’s Next
- Quick Revision: Literature, Language, Idioms and Riddles: the whole chapter on one page
- Tourism, Archaeological Sites and Heritage: the next chapter in the Chhattisgarh section
- Social Aspects of Chhattisgarh: oral culture as part of the state’s social life (Mains GS-IV)