Rajasthan is culturally rich and has extensive tradition in art and culture, which reflects Indian way life. The dance, music and art forms have been watchfully cultivated and patronised by the erstwhile courts. An equally rich and varied folk culture from villages is both fascinating & mesmerising. The music is of uncomplicated innocence and songs depict day-to-day relationships and chores more often focal around bring of water. Rajasthan's cultural tapestry takes in simple folk to highly cultivated classical music and dance in its own distinct style.

Music sung by women is mostly about water and the style is called panihari. It depicts daily chores and is cantered around the well. In arid area like Rajasthan water is of immense significance. Some of the folk songs also talk about chance encounter with their lover. Some even have snipes at the incorrigible mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Music here, also has strong religious flavour and is sung in dedication to various deities. Some religious songs are folk idioms of Saints, Surdas, Kabirdas, Meerabai and others. These songs are mostly heard in nightlong soirées.

Music traditions are kept alive by entertainer like the Langas, Manganniyars, Mirasis and Dholis. The education in music of these groups began early and passed down from generation to generation. The folk musicians are apt in classical tradition. Songs normally began with an alap, which set the tune of the song and then recital of the couplet that is called the dooba. The songs also have the taan, the pitch and the tibias -the triplet, which lends variance to the tune.

Ballad traditions of Rajasthan are also of great attention. Here bards sing heroic tales of folk heroes like Tejaji, Gogaji and Ramdeoji. They sing and narrate heroic tales of battles and even of legendary lovers and their tragedies. To distinctive category in this tradition are the 'Phad' and the puppetry.

The accompanying instruments are of various varieties to repercussion, string and wind and even common use utilities like bells, thali (metal dishes) and earthen pots.

Dance The Thar Desert of Rajasthan comes alive when its dancers take the center stage. Rajasthan has great variety of dances, which are simple expressions of celebration and festivity. The dancers, the dances and costumes have made Thar the most colorful desert in the world. Each region adding its own form of dance styles and performers. There are dances that follows a lineage of age old traditions, adhere to religious significance, display their daring attitude as well as complimenting various fairs and festivals.

Ghoomar, a community dance for women performed on auspicious occasions. Gair Ghoomar, Raika, Jhoria and Gauri are particularly of Bhil tribe. Gair is performed on Holi but only by the men folk. Chari dance, with pots on the head and a lighted lamp, is popularly performed on marriage occasions or on the birth of a male child. Kalbelia dance is of the kalbelia tribe, the snake charmers. With numerous pots on the head, women excel the balancing act in the Matka-bhawai. Terah taali, is a ritual for Baba Ramdev, a dance with thirteen manjiras. Other dances are Kachhi-Ghodi, Kathputli (the puppet dance), Fire dance, drum dance and various others pertaining to the particular tribes. Kathhak, a popular dance form being imported from Uttar Pradesh have been revived by the rajputana courts, with a style and theme of its own.

Folk Music

There is a great tradition of popular poetry, which is written under the rival banners of Turra and Kalangi. This is sung in groups in Jikri, Kanhaiyya or Geet (of the Meenas), Hele-ke-Khyal and Bam rasiya of eastern Rajasthan. Group singing of classical bandishes called the Dangal or taalbandi is also unique to this region. Bhopas are singing priests of various deities or warriors saints. The Bhopas of Mataji wear red costumes and play the mashak. Dance is often part of the musical tradition and the Thories or Nayaks who are Pabu Bhopas, have a female accompanist; together they recite the Phad (a painted ballad). The Phad itself is an elaborately painted work of art and deeply venerated. The chinpas or Joshis are famous Phad painter.

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Folk Dance

Dance is an expression of human emotion as much as musical and it is found in almost limities variations in Rajasthan simple, unsophisticated dancing is seen in their fairs festivals in the kudakna of the Meena boys the dancing which goes with the rasiya songs of Braj and the dancing the women and men where the women carry a pot or a lighted lamp on their head. In the Charkula dance of braj an elaborate lampstand replaces the single lamp.

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Tribal Music & Dances

Music and dances are such an essential part of tribal life that professional musicians and dancers are redundant. The Garasia tribal inhabit the Abu Road and pindwara tehsils of Sirohi districts and the neighbouring terrotories of Kotra, gogunda and khewara tehsils of Udaipur districts, Bali and desuri of pali districts.
They have a folklore enriched with folktales, proverbs, riddles and folkmusic. Walar is an important dance of the Garasias which is a prototype

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