This type of music originates from the

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 ...

, one of the states of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and home to several important centers of

Indian music Owing to India's vastness and diversity, Indian music encompasses numerous genres in multiple varieties and forms which include classical music, folk (Bollywood), rock, and pop. It has a history spanning several millennia and developed ove ...

al development, including

Udaipur Udaipur () ( ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic ...

Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the ...

and

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known a ...

. The region's music shares similarities both with nearby areas of India and the other side of the border, in the nanaga , bukhmanga pakisthan

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

i province of

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

Overview

Rajasthan has a diverse collection of musician castes, including langas, sapera, bhopa, and

Manganiar The Manganhar are a Muslim community found in the desert of Rajasthan, India; mostly in the districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer. also found in the districts of Tharparkar and Sanghar in the bordering province of Sindh in Pakistan. They are k ...

. There are two traditional classes of musicians: the Langas, who stuck mostly exclusively to Muslim audiences and styles, and the

s, who had a more liberal approach. Traditional music includes the women's

Panihari ''Panihari'' is a Bollywood film. It was released in 1946 Events January * January 6 - The first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divid ...

songs, which lyrically describes chores, especially centered on water and wells, both of which are an integral part of Rajasthan's desert culture. Other songs, played by various castes, normally begin with the

alap The Alap (; ) is the opening section of a typical North Indian classical performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga. In dhrupad singing the alap is unmetered, improvised (within the raga) and unaccompan ...

, which sets the tune and is followed by a recital of a couplet (dooba). Epic ballads tell of heroes like Devnarayan Bhagwan, Gogaji, Ramdeoji,

Pabuji Pabuji is a folk-deity of Rajasthan in India who is also worshiped in parts of Gujarat and the Indus plain. The Narrative of Pabuji The narrative of Pabuji is sung by the Bhopa poet-singers of Nayak community is based according to the tradi ...

and

Tejaji Veer Teja Ji or Tejaji is a Rajasthani folk deity. He is considered one of the major eleven incarnations of Shiva and worshipped as a deity in whole (Rural & Urban) Rajasthan. Veer Teja was born around 1074 in Khadnal, Rajasthan, India. His pare ...

. The celebration of changing seasons is also very central to folk music of Rajasthan. Celebration of the coming of the

Monsoons A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscill ...

or the harvest season are central to most traditional folk songs. Songs also revolve around daily activities of the local people for instance a song about not sowing Jeera (

Cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

Mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaAE ...

) and how it is liked by various members of the family (an allegorical reference to a local liquor extracted from mint is also made). Every day common themes are the center of traditional rajasthani folk music. One of the most famous Rajasthani

Maand Mand or Maand ( hi, मांड गायकी) is a style of singing in Rajasthan, used in folk songs. It is similar to the thumri and the ghazal. Well known Mand singers include Allah Jilai Bai from Bikaner (awarded Padma Shri-1982 and ...

singers is

Allah Jilai Bai Allah Jilai Bai (1 February 1902 – 3 November 1992) was a folk singer from Rajasthan, India. Born in Bikaner to a family of singers, by the age of 10 she was singing in the Durbar of Maharaja Ganga Singh. She took singing lessons from Ustad Hu ...

of the Bikaner Gharana.

Notable musicians

Kheta Khan Kheta may refer to: * Kheta (river), a river in Russia * , a settlement in Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District, Russia * Kheta of Mewar Kshetra Singh (died 1382), was Maharana (r. 1364–1382) of Mewar Kingdom. He was the son of Maharana Ha ...

* Meme Khan *

Seema Mishra Seema may refer to: Films * ''Seema'' (1955 film), a Hindi film * ''Seema'' (1971 film), a Hindi film People *Lehlohonolo Seema (born 1980), football (soccer) player from Lesotho *Seema (actress) (born 1957), Indian film actress * Seema Aissen Wea ...

*Prakash Mali *Chotu Singh Rawna *Anupriya Lakhawat *Hemraj Goyal *

Dapu Khan Dapu Khan Mirasi was a Rajasthani Folk singer known for entertaining tourists from India and abroad in the fort of Jaisalmer over 30 years. He died at the age of 62 on March 13, 2021, after reportedly suffering a heart attack. Dapu is one of the ...

Ila Arun Ila Arun is an Indian actress, TV personality and Rajasthani folk and folk-pop singer. She has appeared in many prominent Bollywood movies such as ''Lamhe'', ''Jodhaa Akbar'', ''Shaadi Ke Side Effects'' and ''Begum Jaan''. Personal life Arun ...

References

* ''Monograph on Langas: a folk musician caste of Rajasthan''. by Komal Kothari. 1960. * ''Folk musical instruments of Rajasthan: a folio'', by Komal Kothari. Rajasthan Institute of Folklore, 1977. * ''Bards, ballads and boundaries: an ethnographic atlas of music traditions in West Rajasthan'', by Daniel Neuman, Shubha Chaudhuri, Komal Kothari. Seagull, 2007. {{ISBN, 1-905422-07-5.

Overview

Notable musicians

See also

References