Talwar Raas

Understand

Where Talwar Raas comes from

Talwar Raas (literally sword-Raas) is the sword-form of the Gujarati Raas family, documented as a distinct style of Indian sword dance. Wikipedia's article on the sword dance tradition notes Mer Dandiya — a sword-dance performed by the communities of Saurashtra — as a representative Indian subcontinent sword dance alongside the Sikh Gatka tradition of Punjab and others. The Gujarati Talwar Raas shares its family roots with the rest of the Gujarati Raas tradition, drawing on the same Vaishnava rasa-lila mythology but substituting blades for the dandiya sticks of the standard form.

How it's practiced

Talwar Raas is performed by men (and in some communities by mixed troupes) in paired formations, with each dancer wielding a single sword or a sword and shield pair. Movements are choreographed mock-combat patterns — the dancers clash blades in time to the dhol, perform circling footwork, and execute controlled attacks and parries that stop short of contact. The dance is performed at Navaratri and at weddings in communities of Saurashtra and the Marwar region of Rajasthan, often at the opening of wedding festivities as a display of martial heritage. Costume is the standard Gujarati kediyu, with a coloured turban and ornamental sword-belt.