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[Fairs & Festivals]  [Music & Dance]  [People]  [Puppets]
[Museums]  [Religion]  [Stepwells]
[Paintings]

Skilled puppeteers perform puppet plays based on popular legends. Displaying his skill in making the puppets act and dance, the puppeteer is accompanied by a woman, usually his wife, who plays the dholak, or drum and sings the Ballad.

Pabuji ki phad : A 14^th century folk hero, pabuji is revered by the bhopa community. The phad, or scroll, which is about 10 meters long, highlights the life and heroic deed of Pabuji. The bhopas are invited by villagers to perform in their areas during times of sickness and misfortune. The ballad is sung by the bhopa as he plays the Ravan-hattha and his wife who holds a lamp and illuminates the relevant portions at appropriate points joins him.

Maand: Rajasthan’s most sophisticated style of folk music has come a long way from the time it was sung only in royal courts, in praise of the Rajput rulers. Professional singers still sing the haunting ballads of Moomal-mahendra, Dhola-Maru and other legendary tales of lovers and heroes. List of singers and performers also includes the Mirasis and Jogis of Mewat, Manganiyars and Langas, Kanjars, Banjaras and Dholies. Performances like the Koshmani Khayal, Maach, Tamasha, Rammat, Nautanki and Raasleela are no less popular.

The musical instruments of Rajasthan are simple but quite unusual. It is a rather difficult task to list all the different types of music, dance and entertainment that can be found in Rajasthan. The range is mind boggling.