The Gond Art is organically connected with nature. Its pantheon represents all the aspects of nature. Badadev, the greatest of all gods, is represented by the saja tree. Thakur Dev is associated with the pakri tree. Gonds believe in the supernatural forces. Their protectors are the spirits, the gods and goddesses who keep them from harm. Their songs, dance forms, myths and legends, folk tales, customs and rituals reflect a close bond with nature and are all inter-related. The understanding of one leads to an understanding of all the others. For instance, the Karma dance is associated with the god Karma Dev who is represented by the karma tree.
The Gond economy is agricultural, so the cycle of sowing and harvesting is the subject of any number of songs and oral narratives, which express the joy, anguish, apprehension and exhilaration of a farming community.
The Gonds express themselves through different forms of dance like the Saila, Rina and Dadariya, which are performed during festivals. The Saila was once performed with swords. Now these have been replaced by sticks. The Dadariya is sung when the groom arrives and again when she leaves with her groom. But it is the Karma that can be performed any time of the year. When a guest arrives, the family gathers and they all do the Karma dance together. The themes of the Karma songs are about life. In Lalpur Village
The Pardhans today are entrusted with keeping the cultural tradition alive through their stories. Oral narratives, like the Gondwani and Ramayani hold the community together. The Gond creation myth tells of the greatest of gods, Badadev who fashioned the earth and every creature on it. There are myths about the origin of the Gond kings, of different trees, especially the mahua, the flowers and fruits which are an integral part of their life. This is the background of artistic expression known as Gond Art.
