Mer Raas

Understand

Where Mer Raas comes from

Mer Raas is the traditional dandiya-raas of the Mer community of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, largely based in the Porbandar district and the adjoining Ghēḍ and Barḍā areas. The Mer (also Maher or Mehar) are a Hindu caste of cultivators historically associated with the Maitraka dynasty of Saurashtra, with a presence in Porbandar, Junagadh, Dwarka and Jamnagar. The Mer community's Wikipedia entry identifies Mer Rās and Maniyaro as forms of dandiya dance distinctive to the community, with Maniyaro the women's counterpart of Mer Raas.

How it's practiced

Mer Raas is performed by paired groups of men and women in two facing lines, using dandiyas (small wooden sticks) in the same eight-beat kaherva pattern as Dandiya Raas more broadly. The form is performed at Navaratri nights and at the community's weddings and festivals, with the dhol and shehnai as the principal instruments. The men's Mer Raas is paired with the women's Maniyaro, which uses similar stick-play but with greater emphasis on song and movement than on stick-tapping. Costume is the standard Gujarati chaniya choli and kediyu.