Lambadi (Telangana)

Understand

Where Lambadi (Telangana) comes from

The Lambadi (Banjara) community has a strong presence in the southern Telangana districts (the Mahbubnagar, the Adilabad, the Khammam and the Warangal areas), with the community having settled in these regions over centuries of trans-Indian migration. The Lambadi dance tradition of Telangana is closely related to the Lambadi dance of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh (Kurnool, Anantapur) and Karnataka, with the dance being performed at the Lambadi marriage and at the major religious festivals of the community. The dance is associated with the Lambadi women's distinctive ghagri (the heavy embroidered flowing skirt) and the ghungroo (the ankle bells), with the men accompanying on the dappu and the dhol. The Lambadi community is recognised by the Government of India as a Scheduled Tribe in Telangana.

How it's practiced

Lambadi dance is performed by men and women in a circle at the marriage of the community and at the village festival. The women wear the heavy embroidered ghagri and the heavy silver jewellery, with the ghungroo on the ankles. The dance is a swirling, hopping motion — the women turning in time to the men's dappu and dhol, with the heavy skirt flaring as they turn. The accompanying music is the dappu and the dhol, with occasional shehnai at the larger celebrations. Costume is the Lambadi distinctive dress — the women's bright embroidered sari and the heavy silver jewellery, the men's dhoti and kurta with the regional turban. Performances are at the wedding of the community and at the village festival of the Lambadi.