Dandiya
Encyclopedia
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
form of Vrindavan
Vrindavan
Vrindavan also known as Vraj is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where it is performed depicting scenes of Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
, and lila of Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
and Radha
Radha
Radha , also called Radhika, Radharani and Radhikarani, is the childhood friend and lover of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Vaisnava traditions of Hinduism...
. Along with Garba
Garba (dance)
Garba is an Indian form of dance that originated in the Gujarat region. The name garba comes from the Sanskrit term Garbha and Deep . Many traditional garbas are performed around a central lit lamp or picture/statues of different avatars of Goddess Shakti...
, it is the featured dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
of Navratri evenings in Western India.
Etymology
The word "Raas" comes from SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word "Ras". The origins of Raas can be traced to ancient times. Lord Krishna performed Rasa lila
Rasa lila
The Rasa lila or Rasa dance is part of the traditional story of Krishna described in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana and literature such as the Gita Govinda, where he dances with Radha and her sakhis...
" (Lila
Lila
Lila , or Leela is a concept within Hinduism literally meaning "pastime", "sport" or "play". It is common to both non-dualistic and dualistic philosophical schools, but has a markedly different significance in each. Within non-dualism, Lila is a way of describing all reality, including the cosmos,...
means Lord Krishna's playful dance. The word "Lila" also refers to things that God does that we do not fully understand).
Forms of Raas
There are several forms of Raas, but "Dandiya Raas", performed during Navaratri in Gujarat is the most popular form. Other forms of Raas include Dang Lila from RajasthanRajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
where only one large stick is used, and "Rasa lila
Rasa lila
The Rasa lila or Rasa dance is part of the traditional story of Krishna described in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana and literature such as the Gita Govinda, where he dances with Radha and her sakhis...
" from North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
. Raas Lila and Dandiya Raas are similar. Some even consider "Garba
Garba
Garba can mean;* Garba , a form of dance originating in Gujarat, India. The term "garba" holds the semantic field 'womb' and is part of the Sanskrit compounds: Hiranyagarbha, Tathagatagarbha, Garbhagriha and Garbhadhatu.-Places:*Garba, Central African Republic*Garba, Sichuan* Garba, the Hungarian...
" as a form of Raas, namely "Raas Garba".
In Dandiya Raas men and women dance in two circles, with sticks in their hands. In the old times Raas did not involve much singing, just the beat of Dhol was enough. "Dandiya" or sticks, are about 18" long. Each dancer holds two, although some times when they are short on Dandiya they will use just one in right hand. Generally, in a four beat rhythm, opposite sides hit the sticks at the same time, creating a nice sound. One circle goes clockwise and another counter clockwise. In the west, people don't form full circles, but instead often form rows.
Origin of Dandiya Raas
Originating as devotional GarbaGarba
Garba can mean;* Garba , a form of dance originating in Gujarat, India. The term "garba" holds the semantic field 'womb' and is part of the Sanskrit compounds: Hiranyagarbha, Tathagatagarbha, Garbhagriha and Garbhadhatu.-Places:*Garba, Central African Republic*Garba, Sichuan* Garba, the Hungarian...
dances, which were always performed in Durga's honour, this dance form is actually the staging of a mock-fight between the Goddess and Mahishasura
Mahishasura
In Hindu mythology, Mahishasura was an asura.Mahishasura's father Rambha was king of the asuras, and he once fell in love with a water buffalo ; Mahishasura was born out of this union...
, the mighty demon-king, and is nicknamed "The Sword Dance". During the dance, dancers energetically whirl and move their feet and arms in a complicated, choreographed manner to the tune of the music with various rhythms. The dhol
Dhol
Dhol can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent and nearby regions. Its range of distribution in India and Pakistan primarily includes northern areas such as the Assam Valley, Bengal, Gujarat,...
is used as well as complementary percussion instruments such as the dholak
Dholak
The Dholak is a North Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese double-headed hand-drum Madal. The name dholki may also refer to a slightly different instrument that uses high-pitch tabla style syahi masala on its treble skin. This instrument is also known as Naal or Dholki....
, tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
and others.
The sticks (dandiyas) of the dance represent the sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s of Durga. The women wear traditional dresses such as colorful embroidered choli
Choli
A choli , is a midriff-baring blouse shell garment in the Indian sari costume worn in India, southern Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and other countries where the sari is worn. The choli is cut to fit tightly to the body and has short sleeves and a low neck...
, ghagra and bandhani dupatta
Dupatta
Dupatta Dupatta(Urdu: دوپٹا, Hindi: दुपट्टा, Bengali: ওড়না, Sindhi: پوتي, Tamil:துப்பட்ட) Dupatta(Urdu: دوپٹا, Hindi: दुपट्टा, Bengali: ওড়না, Sindhi: پوتي, Tamil:துப்பட்ட) (alternative names include chadar (in Pakistan), orni/odhni, chunri, chunni, orna, and pacheri, is a long,...
s (traditional attire) dazzling with mirror work and heavy jewellery. The men wear special turbans and kedias, but this varies regionally.
Garba is performed before Aarti
Aarti
Aarti , also spelled arathi, aarthi is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a form of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee or camphor is offered to one or more deities...
(worshipping ritual) as devotional performances in the honor of the Goddess, while Dandiya is performed after it, as a part of merriment. Men and women join in for Raas Dandiya, and also for the Garba. The circular movements of Dandiya Raas are much more complex than those of Garba. The origin of these dance performances or Raas
Rasa lila
The Rasa lila or Rasa dance is part of the traditional story of Krishna described in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana and literature such as the Gita Govinda, where he dances with Radha and her sakhis...
is Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. Today, Raas is not only an important part of Navratri in Gujarat, but extends itself to other festivals related to harvest and crops as well. The Mers of Saurastra are noted to perform Raas with extreme energy and vigor.
History
The Dandiya Raas dance originated as devotional Garba dances, which were performed in Goddess Durga’s honor. This dance form is actually the staging of a mock-fight between Goddess Durga and Mahishasura, the mighty demon-king. This dance is also nicknamed ‘The Sword Dance’. The sticks of the dance represent the sword of Goddess Durga.The origin of these dances can be traced back to the life of Lord Krishna. Today, Raas is not only an important part of Navaratri in Gujarat but extends itself to other festivals related to harvest and crops as well.
Format
Raas is also performed at social functions and on stage. Staged Raas can be very complex with intricate steps and music. Raas is a folk artFolk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
and it will change with the times. When African slaves and ship workers (who were Muslims) arrived on the coast of Saurashtra, they adopted Raas as their own and used African drums. While it originated from Hindu tradition, it was adopted by the Muslim community as Saurashtra. Singing entered the Raas scene later on. Initially, most songs were about Lord Krishna, but songs about love, praise of warriors who fought gallant wars, and the Goddess Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
, and even Muslim Raas songs were born.
The motif is also found represented in trade textiles as early as the 15th century in the prestigious double ikats woven with silk threads (known as patolas) that were traded by Indian (and later European traders) for Southeast Asia's spices. Most originated in Gujarat, the most famous of all of India's patola centres. Because of their rarity and perceived value, we are lucky to have some still in existence today emerging from Indonesian collections.
It is common to think that Raas has to be fast, but that is not the case. Grace and slow movements are just as important. With the advent of C-60 cassettes came the pre-recorded "non stop" Raas music. Soon it overtook the individual Raas items which are rarely recorded nowadays. The disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
beat and use of western drum became popular, but you can still visit fine arts college in Vadodara
Vadodara
Vadodara formerly known as Baroda is the third most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat . It is one of the four cities with the population of over 1 million...
during Navaratri where the musicians sit in the centre and play while people dance around them.
Gujarati movies entered the scene in late 50's and 60's. Raas took on a different form as it borrowed heavily from the film industry.
There are other unique forms of Raas such as one in the town of Mahuva where men would tie one hand to a rope extending from above and hold a stick in the other hand. This was strictly in praise of Goddess Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
. If you use broader definition, even "Manjira
Manjira
The manjïrà is a traditional percussion instrument of Bhàrata India. In its simplest form it is a pair of small hand cymbals. It is also known as manjeera, tala, jalra, khartàl or kartàl....
" can be used to do Raas. There are communities that specialize in Raas with "Manjira". Just like the British police, some men dancing at "Tarnetar" used to wear colourful bands of cloth around their legs, resembling socks. The city of Mumbai developed its own style of Dandiya Raas. Now, during Navratri people use Dandiya, but make it more like a free style dance. "Head bobbing" during Raas is popular in USA among youngsters, but that arrived from the Gujarati movies. Head bobbing was for the singers, not for the dancers.
Costumes and Music
The women wear traditional dresses such as colorful embroidered choli, ghagra and bandahni dupattas, which is the traditional attire, dazzling with mirror work and heavy jewellery. The men wear special turbans and kedias, but can range from area to area. The dancers whirl and move their feet and arms in a choreographed manner to the tune of the music with a lot of drum beats. The dhol is used as well as complementary percussion instruments such as the dholak, tabla, et cectra. the true dance gets extremely complicated and energetic. Both of these dances are associated with the time of harvest.Difference between Dandiya and Garba
The main difference between Garba and Raas is that Raas is played with Dandiyas (pair of colorfully decorated sticks), while Garba consists of various hand and feet movements.Sometimes instead of sticks, people also use "Swords". The circular movements of Dandiya Raas are much more complex than that of Garba.
Amongst Indian diaspora
In the United States and elsewhere, raas has evolved to incorporate other forms of music. This is mostly a show item where college students of Indian origin mix non-stop Raas music with strong drum beats and stunts, coordinated with various themes. They freely mix traditional steps with other steps. Some attest that this is because the dynamic nature of raas represents the circle of life and the beating heart, and is a live folk form that has changed with time and will keep changing.External links
- Gujarati Garba
- DANDIYA:The Great Indian Social Dance A blog with images, music, steps and history of Dandiya.
- Navratri and Dandiya:Festivals celebrated in Mumbai Dandiya in Mumbai.
- Indian Art and Artists