Dalkhai is a popular folk dance of the Adivasis of Odisha, India.
The name is derived from dancers shouting ‘Dalkhai Bo!’ at the beginning and end of each stanza sung in the dance.
The dance normally corresponds to the Hindu epics such as the love story of Radha and Krishna.
The dance is popular among the Binjhal, Kuda, Mirdha, Sama and other tribes of Western Odisha.
The dance is accompanied by a rich orchestra of folk music played by a number of instruments known as dhol, nisan (typically a giant drum made of iron case), tamki (a tiny one sided drum 6" in diameter played by two sticks), tasa (a one sided drum) and mahuri.