Overview

These dances are believed to have originated during the age of Krishna. Dandia raas is also said to signify the battle between goddess Durga and the demon king, Mahishasura. The sticks are symbolic of the swords used. Hence, this dance form is also called sword dance. This dance form is performed by men and women moving in circles and tapping each other’s sticks in four-beat patterns. Any Navratri celebration is incomplete without this dance form. Men and women dress in colourful traditional clothes with mirror embellishments and bandhani patterns. With all the captivating rhythmic beats, intermittent jingling sounds of the bells and electrifying flow of colours and light, Dandiya is a mesmerizing poetry of human movements. An alive art of Gujarat and Rajasthan, Dandiya Raas is a popular folk dance performed during the festival of Navratri. The dance is performed in the victorious honour of Goddess Durga. It is dramatized in a way that depicts the mock fight between the Goddess and the mighty demon king Mahishasura. However, the very fact that today the dance has reached every corner of the world, not just the divergent pandals from the tribal pockets of ancient India, is appreciating. Watching and performing Dandiya Raas is truly a spectacle to behold.

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