Art & Culture
🔒 Log in to trackFolk Dances by State
🔒 Log in to trackFolk dances are tied to a state, a community or a season. Most questions ask you to pair a dance with its state. Others ask for a feature, such as sticks or bamboo, or the festival where it is performed.
The core table
Learn the bold names first. They are asked most often.
| State | Folk dances |
|---|---|
| Gujarat | Garba (UNESCO ICH 2023), Dandiya Raas, Tippani, Padhar |
| Rajasthan | Ghoomar, Kalbelia (ICH 2010), Chari, Kachchhi Ghodi, Gair |
| Punjab | Bhangra (men), Giddha (women), Jhumar |
| Haryana | Phag, Saang, Loor |
| Maharashtra | Lavani, Tamasha, Koli, Lezim, Dhangari Gaja |
| Karnataka | Yakshagana, Dollu Kunitha, Bhootha Kola |
| Kerala | Theyyam, Padayani, Oppana, Thiruvathirakali, Ottam Thullal |
| Tamil Nadu | Karakattam, Kummi, Kolattam, Oyilattam |
| Andhra / Telangana | Dhimsa, Kolattam, Burrakatha, Perini Shivatandavam (Telangana) |
| Odisha | Chhau (Mayurbhanj), Dalkhai, Ghumura, Gotipua |
| West Bengal | Chhau (Purulia), Gambhira, Jatra, Baul (music) |
| Bihar | Jat-Jatin, Bidesia, Jhijhiya, Jhumar |
| Jharkhand | Chhau (Seraikela), Karma, Paika |
| Chhattisgarh | Raut Nacha, Pandavani (ballad, Teejan Bai), Gaur Maria, Karma, Panthi |
| Madhya Pradesh | Jawara, Matki, Tertali |
| Uttar Pradesh | Charkula, Nautanki, Raslila |
| Uttarakhand | Chholiya, Langvir Nritya, Barada Nati |
| Himachal Pradesh | Nati (Kullu Nati in Guinness Records), Jhora |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Rouf, Dumhal, Bhand Pather |
| Assam | Bihu, Bagurumba (Bodo), Jhumur (tea tribes) |
| Mizoram | Cheraw (bamboo dance) |
| Manipur | Thang Ta (martial), Lai Haraoba |
| Meghalaya | Nongkrem (Khasi), Wangala (Garo) |
| Nagaland | Chang Lo (Sua Lua), Zeliang |
| Tripura | Hojagiri (balancing on a pitcher) |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Bardo Chham, Ponung |
| Sikkim | Singhi Chham (snow-lion masks) |
| Goa | Fugdi, Dekhni |
The North-East set
This set is a favourite in match-the-column questions.
- Cheraw is the bamboo dance of Mizoram.
- Hojagiri is the balancing dance of Tripura.
- Nongkrem is the Khasi dance of Meghalaya.
- Wangala is the Garo dance of Meghalaya.
- Bagurumba is the Bodo dance of Assam.
Tip: Link the feature to the state. Bamboo is Mizoram. Balancing is Tripura. Khasi is Meghalaya.
Feature and occasion clues
- Garba is a circular women's dance of Navratri, with clapping. Dandiya Raas uses sticks.
- Ghoomar is of Bhil origin. Rajasthan's royal houses adopted it. Women wear swirling ghagras.
- Kalbelia belongs to the snake-charmer Kalbelia community. Its moves imitate a serpent.
- Bhangra and Giddha mark the Baisakhi harvest.
- Lavani is fast, with dholki music. It grew inside the tamasha theatre of Maharashtra.
- Yakshagana is a night-long dance-drama of Karnataka with huge headgear.
- Theyyam is a Kerala ritual. Performers embody village goddesses, mostly male performers.
- Bihu is the spring (Rongali) dance of Assam.
- Cheraw dancers step between crossed bamboo staves clapped in rhythm.
- Hojagiri dancers are Reang women who balance on pots and bottles.
- Nongkrem is a Khasi thanksgiving dance.
- Karma is a dance of Karma-devi tree worship in the Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand belt.
Watch: Yakshagana is Karnataka. Kathakali is Kerala. Setters put them side by side.
The classical-folk border
Some forms sit near the line between classical and folk.
- Chhau is semi-classical and martial. It has three styles: Mayurbhanj, Seraikella and Purulia.
- Yakshagana is a folk dance-drama, not a classical dance.
- Jatra of Bengal is folk theatre, not a dance.
Setters swap these with classical names. Pin the state dance before you answer.
Recognition to remember
- Garba entered UNESCO's ICH list in 2023. It was India's newest dance element at that time.
- Kalbelia, Chhau and Mudiyettu all entered in 2010.
- Durga Puja of Kolkata is a festival, not a dance. It entered the ICH list in 2021.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
State to folk dance
A folk dance with four state options, or a match-the-column of states and dances (often North-East).
Run the state table in your head.
For the North-East, use the feature: bamboo, balancing, Khasi.
Cross out the states that clearly do not fit.
Each folk dance has one state, so recall settles it.
The Cheraw dance, with bamboo staves, belongs to which state?
Show solutionHide solution
Cheraw is the bamboo dance.
Dancers step in and out of clapped staves.
Mizoram
Dance to feature or community
A feature is described, such as sticks, snake-like moves, dholki or goddess possession.
Read the feature.
Map it: clapping circle is Garba, sticks are Dandiya, snake-charmers are Kalbelia.
Dholki with tamasha is Lavani. Ritual possession is Theyyam.
Each dance has one feature that acts as its label.
The serpent-like Kalbelia dance is performed by a community traditionally of what?
Show solutionHide solution
Kalbelia is a Rajasthan dance.
Its moves imitate a snake.
The community is named after its old trade.
Snake charmers
Dance to occasion or season
The question asks which dance goes with Baisakhi, Navratri or Bihu.
Recall the festival's dance.
Baisakhi is Bhangra and Giddha.
Navratri is Garba and Dandiya. Rongali Bihu is Bihu.
Folk dances grew around harvests and festivals.
Bhangra is traditionally performed during which festival?
Show solutionHide solution
Bhangra is a Punjab men's dance.
It marks a harvest.
Baisakhi, the Punjab harvest festival
Classical-folk border
Which of these is NOT a classical dance, or a semi-classical form slipped into a list.
Spot Chhau, Yakshagana or Jatra in the options.
Chhau is semi-classical and martial.
Yakshagana is folk dance-drama. Jatra is folk theatre.
Setters pick forms that sound classical but are not.
Which form is semi-classical and martial, with Mayurbhanj, Seraikella and Purulia styles?
Show solutionHide solution
Three styles in three states.
It is not fully classical.
Chhau
UNESCO recognition of dance forms
Which dance or form entered the ICH list, and in which year.
Recall Garba, 2023.
Recall the 2010 trio: Kalbelia, Chhau, Mudiyettu.
Recall that Durga Puja (2021) is a festival, not a dance.
Year and name pairs are easy to test.
Which Gujarat dance entered UNESCO's ICH list in 2023?
Show solutionHide solution
It is a circular dance of Navratri.
Women clap as they move.
Garba
Shortcuts that save time
Cheraw is Mizo. Hojagiri is Tripura. Nongkrem is Khasi (Meghalaya). Wangala is Garo (Meghalaya). Bagurumba is Bodo (Assam).
Hojagiri, where women balance on an earthen pitcher, is a folk dance of which state?
Show solutionHide solution
The dancers are Reang women.
They balance on pots and bottles.
Tripura
Bhangra goes with Bhaiya (men). Giddha goes with Girls (women).
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Giving Yakshagana to Kerala.
Yakshagana is the dance-drama of Karnataka. Kathakali is Kerala.
Calling Chhau a purely classical dance.
Chhau is semi-classical and martial, with three styles.
Treating Jatra as a dance.
Jatra is folk theatre of Bengal.
Mixing up Cheraw and Hojagiri.
Cheraw uses bamboo staves (Mizoram). Hojagiri uses balancing on pots (Tripura).
Saying Durga Puja is an ICH dance.
Durga Puja of Kolkata is a festival, listed in 2021.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Gujarat: Garba (ICH 2023) and Dandiya. Rajasthan: Ghoomar and Kalbelia (ICH 2010).
Punjab: Bhangra (men) and Giddha (women). Maharashtra: Lavani, from tamasha. Karnataka: Yakshagana.
Cheraw is Mizoram bamboo. Hojagiri is Tripura balancing. Nongkrem is Meghalaya Khasi.
Theyyam is a Kerala ritual. Bihu is the Assam spring dance. Karma is the Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand dance.
The 2010 ICH trio: Kalbelia, Chhau, Mudiyettu.
Practice: 14 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 4 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.