Biraha (sometimes known as Birha) is an ethnic Bhojpuri folk genre of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand in India.
[1] Its place in folk songs is as important as that of Dwipadi in Sanskrit, Gatha in Prakrit and Barwai in Hindi.
Outside India, this genre can be found in the former colonies of where Indian indentured laborers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand emigrated to, such as Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, South Africa, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
[2] Rām kī laṛaiyā ke nā païbe rawanawā, jekarī bagal me hanumān Sonā kē laṃkā toharī mātī me milaīhen, tūṛ dihen toharo gumān Ravan, you can not succeed in fighting Ram, who has Hanuman at his side Your golden Lanka will be mixed in the soil (destroyed), your pride will be brokenBihari Lal Yadav ji is universally recognised as the founder of Biraha.
As Biraha became a famous genre, Bihari Lal acquired a number of "Chelas" (disciples).
These Akharas played a major role in organising social and performance aspects of the tradition.