''Kachchhi Ghodi'' dance, also spelled ''Kachhi Ghodi'' and ''Kachhi Gori'', is an Indian folk dance that originated in the

Shekhawati Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India. The region was ruled by Shekhawat Rajputs. Shekhawati is located in North Rajasthan, comprising the districts of Jhunjhunu district, Jhunjhunu, part ...

region of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

. It has since been adopted and performed throughout the rest of the country. Dancers wear novelty horse costumes, and participate in mock fights, while a singer narrates folk tales about local bandits. It is commonly performed during wedding ceremonies to welcome and entertain the bridegroom's party, and during other social settings. Performing the dance is also a profession for some individuals.

Etymology

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

, ''Kachchhi'' has many possible meanings, two of which are "diaper" and "of or belonging to the Kutch region", while ''Ghodi'' means ''

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

''. Together, ''Kachchhi Ghodi'' refers to the imitation horse costume worn around the waist of the dancer.

Description

Kachchhi Ghodi includes a combined performance by dancers, singers and musicians. In Rajasthan, the dance is performed by men dressed in a ''

kurta A ''kurta'' is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, (subscription required) Quote: "A loose shirt or tunic worn by men and women." Quote: "Kurta: a loose shirt without a collar, worn by women and men from South ...

'' and a

turban A turban (from Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promine ...

, along with an imitation horse costume. The shell of the costume is constructed out of

papier-mâché upright=1.3, Mardi Gras papier-mâché masks, Haiti upright=1.3, Papier-mâché Catrinas, traditional figures for day of the dead celebrations in Mexico Papier-mâché (, ; , literally "chewed paper") is a composite material consisting of p ...

molded to resemble a horse supported by a bamboo frame. It is then covered with bright colored fabric elaborately designed with mirror-work embroidery known as '' Shisha''. The dummy horse does not have legs. Instead, fabric is draped around the dancer's waist covering the entire length of his legs. Around the ankles, the dancers wear musical bells known as ''

ghungroo A ghungroo ( hi, घुँघरू, ur, ), also known as ghunghroo or ghunghru or ghungur or ghungura (Assamese, Bengali and Odia) or Chilanka or Salangai or Gejje (in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada respectively), is one of many small metallic ...

'', similar to those worn by Indian classical dancers. When performed as a group dance, people stand on opposite sides with swords in their hands and run back and forth quickly which, when viewed from above, resembles the opening and closing of flowers. The dancers move to the rhythm of

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

music and the beats of

dhol Dhol (IPA: ) can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan primarily includes nort ...

drums. Singers narrate the mock fights with stories of the exploits of Bhanwariya bandits, the Rajasthani equivalent of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

Geography

The dance originated in the

region of

. It is prevalent in the Kamdholi, Sarghara,

Bhambi The Bhambi are a Hindu caste. Those from Gujarat are Chamar. Those found in the state of Maharashtra and Punjab, India, Punjab in India. Bhambi's from Punjab region are Saraswat Brahmin People of India Maharshtra Bambi's from Punjab are Gaud Sara ...

and Bhavi communities. It is also performed with the same name in other parts of India, including

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

and

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. In the state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

, '' Poikkal kuthirai aattam'' (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

: பொய்க்கால் குதிரை ஆட்டம், which stands for ''false-leg horse dance'') is a folk dance similar to Kachchhi Ghodi. The differences lie in the props used. It is performed with wooden legs meant to resemble the sounds made by the hooves of a horse during the annual festivals of the Amman Temple in

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...

References

External links

* * https://wn.com/kachi_ghodi_dance/news – A video of the dance performance. * https://web.archive.org/web/20150409190818/http://www.discoveredindia.com/rajasthan/culture-in-rajasthan/dance-in-rajasthan/ * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-bEZlX7u8A - A Dance Video from Chokhi Dhani Pune. {{Dance in India Folk dances of Rajasthan

Etymology

Description

Geography

See also

References

External links