Ranan

Understand

Where Ranan comes from

Ranan is the warrior-dance of the Gaddi community of Himachal Pradesh, performed by men of the Gaddi shepherds at the marriage and at the regional festivals. The dance is associated with the warrior-ancestry of the Gaddi people and with their pastoral life in the high Himalayas of the Chamba and Kangra districts. The form draws on the small-sword-dance vocabulary of the regional Pahari tradition and on the agricultural-pastoral life of the Gaddi community. The dance is performed at the marriage of the community and at the regional cultural festival.

How it's practiced

Ranan is performed by groups of men of the Gaddi community in a circle at the courtyard of the marriage or at the central village ground of the festival. The men dance in coordinated steps, with the small sword (the chhuri) and the shepherd's staff (the latha) in their hands. The dance is energetic, with the small jumps and turns of the Pahari warrior-vocabulary. Music is the dhol, the shehnai and the small nagara of the hills. Costume is the everyday Gaddi dress — the dhoti, the woollen coat (the chola) and the small regional Pahari cap. Performances are at the marriage cycle and at the regional festival of the Gaddi community.