A Brief Introduction To Rajasthani Folk songs And Dance

                                           

Whenever we talk about folk songs, first of all, Rajasthani folk songs come to our mind. Rajasthani folk songs are very popular and are praised all over the world. But do you know why Rajasthani folk songs are so popular in the world?

Different types of folk songs are prevalent in every corner of Rajasthan, whose language is different only but the instruments used for them are the same in all areas. In this article today, I will introduce you to Rajasthani folk songs in a good way and will tell which are those things due to which Rajasthani folk songs are famous all over the world.

Famous Musical Castes in Rajasthan who sings Rajasthani Folk songs

First of all, let’s talk about the musical castes in Rajasthan, such as Manganiyar, Langa, Sapera, and Bhopa. Apart from all these, there are many other castes who also sing Rajasthani folk songs but their number is very less and those people are famous only in rural areas.

Langa and Manganiyar Caste

If we talk about the oldest music family, it is Langa and Manganiyar. The folk songs of the Langa caste are very popular among the Muslim people. The songs of the Langa caste reflect the Muslim style and most of their fans are Muslim. On the other hand, the songs sung by the people of the Manganiyar caste are famous among people of every religion.

The people of the Langa and Mangnayar caste live in Barmer and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, apart from this, there are also people of the Langa and Manganiyar caste in Pakistan who migrated to Pakistan at the time of partition of India.

There are some villages in Sindh and Tharparkar districts in Pakistan where both these castes live. The people of the Langa and Mangnayar caste have been loved by the rich royal family since old times, they get a lot of help from the rich people, due to which these people are carrying on the legacy of folk songs.

The songs of the people of the Manganayar caste mention the Rajput Maharajas, their history, war, etc. These people present their stories through their songs. It is believed that Manganiyars were present in their courts at that time. Whenever there was a wedding or any other celebration in the royal house, only Manganiyar people used to sing songs.

Just as the Manganiyars were the favorite singers of the Rajput kings, the people of the Langa caste were the favorite singers of the rich people of the Sindhi Sepoy (Muslim Rajput) community.

Though both these castes are part of the Muslim religion, these people also sing religious songs of Hindus especially on the occasion of Diwali and Holi. It is the secular thinking that has brought Rajasthani folk songs to this stage today. Let me tell you the names of some famous Manganiyar singers who have performed for big channels like MTV.

Mame Khan, Dapu Khan, Kachra Khan, Alla fakir are all from India, and Mai Dai belongs to Pakistan. It took time for all these singers to reach Bollywood but today they have become famous all over the world.

Music instruments used by Langas and Manganiyars

Kamaicha- It is an instrument made of mango wood that consists of 17 strings, which produce different melodies. The special feature of this instrument is that it is covered with goatskin and its three strings are made from the goat’s intestine while the remaining 14 strings are of steel.

Khartal- It is a kind of castanet made of teak, its name is derived from “Khar” meaning hand, and “taal” meaning rhythm.

Dholak- The Dholak is a hand drum similar to Bongo, The dholak has a simple membrane and a handle on the right-hand side.

Bhopa and Jogi castes

Bhopa and Jogi These two castes are also known for Rajasthani music, it is different that they sing hymns only for the local deities. In the Rajasthani language, the priest of the local deity is called Bhopa and Bhopa lives in temples and sings hymns in the morning and evening at pray time.

In contrast, Jogis are also priests in a way, but they do not have a fixed place. They roam the entire village early in the morning and sing Hindu prayers. In return, the villagers give them flour and grains that’s how the Jogi caste survives.

Music instruments used by Bhopa and Jogi

These people do not use any special instrument, like other singers, they also use some popular instruments like sitar, dholak, veena, and khartal.

Sapera caste and their love for Rajasthani folk songs

The real profession of a snake charmer ( Sapera) is snake catching, but these people also contribute to the field of music. There was a time when snake charmers used to come to the rural areas and to show snake games to the villagers, instead of which the villagers gave them money and food grains.

But all these games disappeared due to modernization in India. Nowadays you will found people of the Sapera caste singing songs at famous tourist places in Rajasthan.

Music instruments used by the Sapera caste

The people of the Sapera caste use different types of instruments such as Ravanahatha and been, Ravanahathe is used only in Rajasthan, it is a very similar instrument to guitar, but the method of using it is different from the guitar.

Apart from the above-mentioned communities, Dholi, dhadhis, fedalis, kelawats are some communities that also have contributed to the preservation and popularisation of Rajasthani folk songs. Now if I talk about the unique style of singing in Rajasthan then Maand singing style is most famous, its a classical singing style and the famous singer for this style is Alla Zija bai from Bikaner house.

Some other unique singing styles from Rajasthan are Panihari style, ballad style, and prosaic style.

Folk Dances of Rajasthan

Rajasthani folk songs are incomplete without Rajasthani folk dance, The dances of Rajasthan are so inviting and engaging that they are bound to induce you to tap a foot or two along with the dancers. Rajasthani dances are essentially folk dances tracing their origin to rural customs and traditions.

Some of Rajasthani Folk dances are Kalbelia dance, Ghoomar Dance, chari dance, kacchi ghori dance, I have seen all these dances during my trips to Rajasthan in recent years, and believe me these dances are so inviting and engaging.

I saw the folk dance of Rajasthan for the first time in my life during my visit to Jaisalmer 2 years ago. We had not seen any traditional dance before that and I was really surprised that day seeing the Kalbeliya dance, it was really very different.

Kalbeliya is a dance from the desert of Rajasthan performed by the tribe of the same name, This dance is part of their culture and performed by both men and women.

Ghoomar dance is the second most popular folk dance in Rajasthan, it was performed by people of the Bheel tribe to worship the Saraswati goddess. Those who perform ghoomar wear traditional dress Ghaghra. Ghoomar is mostly performed on special occasions like weddings, festivals, Navratri.

According to the tradition of Rajasthan newly married bride is expected to do the ghoomar on being welcomed to her new home.

Chari dance is a kind of group dance performed by the ladies of the Saini and Gujjar tribes, it is the most popular dance in Kishangarh and Ajmer. chari dance is mostly performed on occasions like childbirth, wedding, and Durga puja/ Navratri.

During this dance, ladies hold brass pots on their heads without touching them. This is the specialty of chair dance and these pots are known as chari in the local language.

kachi ghori dance is unique I promise you have never seen this type of dance before, Kachi ghori dance is performed by dholi caste in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. Dancers wear horse costumes and participate in mock fights, while a singer narrates stories of local bandits.

Dancers also wear ghunghru, kurta, pajama when they perform this dance. Kachi ghori dance is mainly performed during the marriage ceremony of rich and middle-class people of the Shekhawati region.

So these were some of the famous Folk dance of Rajasthan which has been a part of the culture of Rajasthan for several hundred years, apart from this there are other dances which are popular. But I have not yet got a chance to see them so I will write about them again sometime.

Where can you see Rajasthani Folk dance and Rajasthani Folk songs?

You can enjoy Rajasthani Folk dance and Folk music at famous tourist places of Rajasthan such as Jaisalmer and Udaipur. In the above video, you can see that we found Dapu khan at the entrance of Jaisalmer fort. other than this Some hotels in Rajasthan also provide facilities to their guests to enjoy Rajasthani Folk dance such as Neemrana Fort, Gorbandh Hotel Jaisalmer, Suryagarh Jaisalmer.

But these are all very expensive hotels, so we will not be able to go, so below I tell you the names of some places where you can watch Rajasthani dance without spending much.

1. Sam village in Jaisalmer, You just need to book a night package at any desert camp in which a tent stay, safari, local food, folk dance performance are included it cost very less like 1000-1200 rs for one person.
2. Jaisalmer Fort, you will easily found people singing folk songs at the entrance of the fort, just offer them 20-50 rupees and they will sing for you.
3. Jodhpur fort, here you can only enjoy folk music after paying a little tip to those singers. at the entrance of the main courtyard of the fort, you will found two or three-man singing pdharo maare desh for visitors. just go and pay them a tip and say to sing any of the songs you love.
4. At every famous landmark in Jaipur the same as above you will found some local singers just do the same which I have written above.
5. Pichola lake Udaipur, imagine you are sitting at the bank of the lake and watching the sunset with someone behind you performing udja kaale Kaawa song on Rawan Hatha. trust me I have experienced the same free of cost. You don’t need to pay but if you feel to help them then it’s good.

So these were some places where you can watch Rajasthani Folk dance And Rajasthani folk music without spending too much money. Apart from this, if you know any place, then tell me in the comment section, I will edit. If you have read my article till now, then share it with your other friends. In last I want to say Rajasthani you have been amazing.