Ghoomar or ghumar is a traditional

folk dance A folk dance is a dance that reflects the life of the people of a certain country or region. Not all ethnic dances are folk dances. For example, Ritual, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances. Ritual dances ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. It was the Bhil tribe who performed it to worship Goddess Saraswati which was later embraced by

Rajputs Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

. The dance is chiefly performed by veiled women who wear flowing dresses called ''ghaghara''. The dance typically involves performers pirouetting while moving in and out of a wide circle. The word ''ghoomna'' describes the twirling movement of the dancers and is the basis of the word ''ghoomar''. According to the traditional rituals, newly married bride is expected to dance ghoomar on being welcomed to her new marital home. Ghoomar is often performed on special occasions, such as at weddings,

festivals A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

and religious occasions, which sometimes lasts for hours.

History

Ghoomar is of

Bhil Bhil or Bheel refer to the various Indigenous peoples, indigenous groups inhabiting western India, including parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and are also found in distant places such as Bengal and Tripura. Though they now speak the Bhili ...

tribe performed to worship goddess Sarasvati which was later embraced by other Rajasthani communities. Bheels were a strong community at that time and were in constant war with Rajput kings. After much fighting peace was made and they began interacting with each other. Ghoomar was performed at Rajputana by local women, later on Rajput elite women also started participating in the dance. Men were not allowed at these dance performances. Ghoomar became popular in the Indian state of Rajasthan during the reigns of Rajput kings, and is typically performed by women during auspicious occasions. Women perform ghoomar with ghoonghat on their head covering their face. The dance form acquires different style and slight change in attire with the different regions of Rajasthan. Ghoomar is performed with faster beats in areas adjoining Gujarat, steps similar to garba style, while slower beats in Dhaulpur Karauli Braj kshetra, similarly difference in attire and dancing style can be seen in Udaipur, Kota, Bundi etc.

Ghoomar Songs

As a traditional dance, ghoomar often includes traditional songs such as "Gorband", "Podina", "Rumal" and "Mor Bole Re". Songs might be centered on royal legends or their traditions. * "Jaipur jao to"-Traditional Rajasthani Folk Danc

* "Chirmi Mhari Chirmali" * "Aave Hichki" - Traditional Rajasthani Ghoomar song * "Mhari Ghoomar Chye Nakhrali" * "Jawai Ji Pawna" - Rajasthani folk song * "Taara Ri Chundadi" * "Mharo Gorband Nakhralo" * "Naina Ra Lobhi" * "Aur Rang De " * "Ghoomar" * "Surat Aap Ri Bannsa"

Cultural impact

*"Gangaur Ghoomar Dance Academy" was established by Maharani Govardan Kumari, Rajmata Goverdhan Kumari of Santrampur in 1986, to preserve and promote ghoomar folk dance. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, in 2007, for her contributions to arts. *The 2017

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

film Padmaavat featured a popular song titled "'' Ghoomar''" that showcased this traditional folk dance.

Gallery

File:Rajput Woman performing Ghoomar 01.jpg, A

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

woman performing ghoomar File:Ghoomar Dancer in Chokhi Rajasthan.jpg, A tribal woman performing ghoomar File:Ghoomar.jpg, Women performing ghoomar at a wedding File: Ghoomar dancers (Rajasthan, India, 2023).jpg, Women performing ghoomar

References

External links