Dhangari Gaja

Understand

Where Dhangari Gaja comes from

The Dhangar (or Hatkar-Dhangar) are a pastoral caste of Maharashtra, northern Karnataka, Goa and Madhya Pradesh. In the Khandesh region of northern Maharashtra and in the forested hill tracts of the Western Ghats they are known as Gavli Dhangars. The community has twelve historic sub-divisions, including the Hatkar (shepherd), Gavli (cowherd) and Khutekar (weaver), with each historically having a role in the larger Dhangar economy. Dhangari Gaja is the community's distinctive sword-and-shield dance, performed in honour of their pastoral deity at the annual fairs and at life-cycle celebrations of the community.

How it's practiced

Dhangari Gaja is performed by men, traditionally the Hatkar-Dhangar shepherds, in a circle or open formation, each dancer wielding a sword (talwar) and a small round shield (dhaal). The dance combines controlled sword-and-shield play with leaping and turning steps in time to the dhol and bhungal drums. Costume is the traditional shepherd's wool-and-sheepskin dress — a tight cap, sleeveless wool tunic, sheepskin shoulder-cape, and heavy ankle-bells that mark the rhythm of the footwork. The dance is performed at the annual Dhangari fairs of Pandharpur and other regional centres.