Folk Dances of India — State by State
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Why This Chapter Matters
Folk dances form one of the most reliable scoring areas in the Art and Culture portion of SSC and RRB exams. Unlike classical dance, where questions probe mudras and gharana lineage, folk dance questions are almost always simple one-line recall: "Bhangra is associated with which state?" or "Which of the following is a folk dance of Assam?" This makes the topic high-yield for the time you spend on it. SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS and RRB NTPC/Group D papers routinely carry two to four questions from this single chapter, usually phrased as direct state-to-dance matching or "which one does not belong" type questions.
The states that repeat most often are Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, and the northeastern states as a group, because each has more than one named folk dance and examiners like testing whether a student can tell them apart. Questions on Chhau (a form that straddles three states) and on dances performed by men versus women within the same state are also common traps. Build your state-to-dance table first, then come back for the details in the sections below; the table alone will get you most marks on this topic.
1. What Makes a Dance "Folk"
Folk dances are community dance forms tied to a region, season, or occasion rather than to formal training in a gharana or school. They are performed at harvests, weddings, religious festivals and community gatherings by ordinary villagers, not by professionally trained artists alone. Because of this, most folk dances have no single named founder, no fixed guru-shishya lineage, and no codified treatise the way classical forms have the Natyashastra behind them.
Folk dances usually fall into a few broad categories: harvest and seasonal dances (Bihu, Onam-related Thiruvathirakali), martial or war dances (Chhau, Thang-Ta-linked forms), devotional dances (Ras Lila), and dances tied to a specific festival (Garba during Navratri, Dandiya Raas). Many states have separate dances for men and women; SSC likes to ask which gender traditionally performs a given dance.
2. North India
Punjab
Bhangra is the most exam-famous folk dance of India. It is a vigorous, energetic male dance from Punjab, traditionally performed at harvest time to celebrate the Baisakhi festival in April. Dancers move to the beat of the dhol drum, and the dance is known for high jumps and rapid shoulder movements. The female counterpart from Punjab is Giddha, performed by women, again around harvest and festive occasions, often built around the boliyan (couplet verses) sung during the dance.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan is exam-heavy because it has several distinct folk dances, each linked to a different community or occasion.
- Ghoomar is the best-known Rajasthani folk dance, performed by women in flowing ghagras, who twirl to create a swirling (ghoomna) effect. It is associated with the Bhil tribal community and is performed on festive occasions and weddings.
- Kalbelia is performed by women of the Kalbelia (snake-charmer) community. Dancers wear black flowing skirts and move with serpentine body motions. UNESCO inscribed Kalbelia songs and dances on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010.
- Kachhi Ghodi is a dance in which male dancers sit astride dummy horses and mock sword fights are enacted, traditionally performed at weddings in the Shekhawati region.
- Chari is performed by women balancing brass pots (chari), sometimes lit with fire, on their heads, associated with the Kishangarh area.
Haryana
Ghoomar is also danced in parts of Haryana bordering Rajasthan, but the state's own signature dance is Jhumar, tied to agricultural life. Phag dance is performed around Holi in Haryana.
Himachal Pradesh
Nati is the principal folk dance of Himachal Pradesh, performed at fairs and festivals and included in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest folk dance gathering. Losar Shona Chuksam is danced by the Buddhist community of Lahaul-Spiti at the Losar (New Year) festival.
Jammu and Kashmir / Ladakh
Rauf is a graceful folk dance performed by Kashmiri women, traditionally at Eid and spring festivals. Dumhal is danced by the Wattal tribe of Kashmir, notable for its tall conical caps and banners carried by dancers. Cham is a masked dance performed by Buddhist monks of Ladakh at monastery festivals.
Uttar Pradesh
Raslila re-enacts the life of Krishna and Radha and is closely linked with Mathura and Vrindavan. Charkula is performed by women balancing a multi-tiered lit lamp stand on the head, associated with Braj region festivals. Nautanki is a folk theatre-with-dance form of UP, most famous for the Nautanki style of Hathras and Kanpur.
Uttarakhand
Chholiya is a sword dance performed at Kumaoni weddings. Langvir Nritya is an acrobatic pole dance performed by men in the Garhwal-Kumaon region.
3. West India
Gujarat
Garba is a circular dance performed by women around a central lamp or image of the goddess, during the Navratri festival. Dandiya Raas is danced with decorated sticks (dandiya) by both men and women, also during Navratri, and depicts a mock combat between Durga and the demon Mahishasura. Both are strongly tied to the worship of the goddess in autumn.
Maharashtra
Lavani is a highly rhythmic dance performed by women to the beat of the dholki, popular in the Sangli-Satara-Kolhapur belt, and often performed as part of the Tamasha folk theatre tradition. Koli dance is performed by the fisherfolk (Koli) community, imitating the movements of rowing and fishing. Lezim is a dance using a small instrument with jingling discs, common at festive gatherings and akhadas.
Goa
Dekhni is a dance performed by women, said to have originated as a dance by devadasis, and today performed to depict the "Aayi" (mother) as the spirit of Goa. Fugdi is performed by Goan women in circles, without any instrument, keeping rhythm with hand claps.
4. East India
West Bengal
Chhau is the standout entry from eastern India: it is a semi-classical/folk masked martial dance found in three states — Purulia district of West Bengal, Seraikella in Jharkhand, and Mayurbhanj in Odisha. Each has its own sub-style: Purulia Chhau uses large painted masks, Seraikella Chhau also uses masks but with more lyrical movement, and Mayurbhanj Chhau is performed without masks. SSC often asks which of the three sub-styles does NOT use masks — remember Mayurbhanj.
Other Bengal folk forms include Gambhira, a dance-drama performed in Malda district, and Baul, a devotional dance-song tradition of wandering minstrels (Bauls), recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2005.
Odisha
Besides Mayurbhanj Chhau, Odisha has Ghumura, a martial-origin dance performed with the ghumura drum, and Dalkhai, performed by tribal women of western Odisha during festivals like Bhaijiuntia.
Jharkhand
Apart from Seraikella Chhau, Jharkhand's tribal groups perform Jhumair (agricultural dance, shared with Chhattisgarh and West Bengal tribal belts) and Paika, a martial dance performed by the traditional Paik warrior class.
Bihar
Jat-Jatin is a dance depicting the story of a poor labourer couple. Jhijhian is performed by women during Chhath-related worship, with pots on the head.
Assam and the Northeast
Bihu is the most famous northeastern folk dance, performed by both men and women of Assam during the Bihu festival (Rongali/Bohag Bihu in April marks the Assamese New Year and spring harvest). It is danced to the accompaniment of dhol, pepa (buffalo horn pipe) and gogona.
Other northeastern states each have a signature form that SSC likes to test as isolated facts:
| State | Folk Dance |
|---|---|
| Nagaland | War dances of Naga tribes (performed at Hornbill Festival) |
| Manipur | Thang-Ta (martial), Lai Haraoba (linked to Manipuri classical roots) |
| Mizoram | Cheraw (Bamboo Dance) |
| Meghalaya | Shad Suk Mynsiem (Khasi harvest thanksgiving dance) |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Buiya, Ponung |
| Tripura | Hojagiri, performed by Tripuri women balancing pots and bottles |
| Sikkim | Chu Faat, Singhi Chham (snow lion dance) |
Cheraw, the Bamboo Dance of Mizoram, deserves special mention: dancers step in and out of criss-crossing bamboo poles that are clapped open and shut in rhythm by seated performers, a format also loosely echoed in the Kau ovi-adjacent bamboo dances found elsewhere in the northeast.
5. South India
Tamil Nadu
Karakattam is performed by dancers balancing a decorated pot (karakam) on the head, traditionally in honour of the rain goddess Mariamman. Kummi is a simple clapping dance performed by women in a circle without instruments. Oyilattam is a graceful group dance performed by men holding colourful strings or sticks.
Kerala
Theyyam is a ritual dance-worship form of north Kerala (Malabar region) in which the performer is believed to become possessed by the deity being portrayed, marked by elaborate face painting and towering headgear. Thiruvathirakali is a graceful circular dance performed by women, associated with the Onam festival and the Thiruvathira asterism. Kaikottikali is a related clap-dance performed by Kerala women.
Karnataka
Yakshagana is a dance-drama form of coastal Karnataka combining dance, music, dialogue and elaborate costume, traditionally performed through the night. Dollu Kunitha is a vigorous drum dance performed by men carrying large decorated drums (dollu) slung around the neck, from north Karnataka.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Kolattam is a stick dance similar to Dandiya, performed by women. Lambadi (or Banjara dance) is performed by the Lambadi/Banjara tribal community with colourful mirror-work costumes. Bathukamma, from Telangana, is a floral festival dance performed by women who build a stacked flower arrangement (bathukamma) and dance around it, primarily in Telangana during the Bathukamma festival following Durga Puja season.
6. Central India and Tribal Belt
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Karma is a tribal dance performed by Gond and Baiga communities of MP and Chhattisgarh in honour of the Karam tree/deity, believed to bring good fortune. Saila is a stick dance performed by young men of Chhattisgarh, similar in spirit to Dandiya. Panthi is a devotional dance of the Satnami community of Chhattisgarh, performed around a central lamp.
Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh-Odisha tribal belt
Karma dance, common across the tribal belt of central-eastern India, is worth remembering as a cross-state answer choice in "which dance is NOT associated with state X" questions, since it genuinely spans MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and parts of Odisha.
7. Union Territories
Andamans and Nicobar tribal communities perform community dances tied to fishing and harvest occasions, generally clubbed as tribal folk dances in exam material rather than tested by individual name. Puducherry, being culturally close to Tamil Nadu, shares Tamil folk forms like Kummi. These are low-yield for direct MCQs but occasionally appear as "which UT" elimination options.
8. Common Confusions SSC Likes to Test
Examiners often build questions around dances that sound alike or that belong to more than one state. Keep these clear:
- Ghoomar (Rajasthan, women, twirling ghagra) versus Ghumura (Odisha, drum-based martial dance) — similar-sounding names, different states, different genders typically associated.
- Chhau is the only major folk dance genuinely shared by three states (West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha) with three distinct sub-styles.
- Garba (circular, around a lamp/idol, mainly women) versus Dandiya Raas (with sticks, mixed gender) — both Gujarat, both Navratri, but different props and formats.
- Bihu is a festival AND the dance performed during it; do not confuse it with Rongali Bihu, which is the specific spring festival occasion (April) when Bihu dance is performed.
- Karma is tribal and cross-state (MP/Chhattisgarh/Jharkhand); Kalbelia is community-specific to Rajasthan and UNESCO-listed.
Quick Revision — One-Line Facts
- Bhangra — male harvest dance of Punjab, performed at Baisakhi, danced to the dhol.
- Giddha — female counterpart of Bhangra in Punjab.
- Ghoomar — women's twirling dance of Rajasthan, linked to the Bhil community.
- Kalbelia — Rajasthani snake-charmer community dance, UNESCO-listed in 2010.
- Kachhi Ghodi — Rajasthani dummy-horse dance performed at weddings.
- Nati — principal folk dance of Himachal Pradesh, Guinness record for largest gathering.
- Rauf — Kashmiri women's dance performed at Eid and spring.
- Dumhal — danced by the Wattal tribe of Kashmir with conical caps.
- Charkula — UP dance with a lit lamp stand balanced on the head, Braj region.
- Chholiya — Uttarakhand sword dance performed at Kumaoni weddings.
- Garba — Gujarat, circular dance around a lamp/idol during Navratri.
- Dandiya Raas — Gujarat, stick dance, mock combat theme, Navratri.
- Lavani — Maharashtra women's dance performed with the Tamasha folk theatre.
- Koli dance — Maharashtra, performed by the fisherfolk community.
- Dekhni — Goan dance said to have devadasi origins.
- Chhau — masked/martial dance of West Bengal (Purulia), Jharkhand (Seraikella) and Odisha (Mayurbhanj); Mayurbhanj Chhau does not use masks.
- Baul — Bengal's wandering-minstrel devotional dance-song tradition, UNESCO-listed in 2005.
- Ghumura — Odisha's martial drum dance, not to be confused with Ghoomar of Rajasthan.
- Jat-Jatin — Bihar folk dance depicting a poor labourer couple.
- Bihu — Assam's folk dance performed during the Rongali/Bohag Bihu festival in April.
- Cheraw — the Bamboo Dance of Mizoram.
- Hojagiri — Tripura, performed by women balancing pots and bottles.
- Shad Suk Mynsiem — Khasi (Meghalaya) harvest thanksgiving dance.
- Karakattam — Tamil Nadu dance with a decorated pot balanced on the head, honouring Mariamman.
- Theyyam — north Kerala ritual dance-worship, performer believed possessed by the deity.
- Thiruvathirakali — Kerala women's circular dance associated with Onam.
- Yakshagana — coastal Karnataka dance-drama form performed through the night.
- Dollu Kunitha — Karnataka men's drum dance with the dollu slung on the shoulder.
- Lambadi — dance of the Banjara/Lambadi tribal community of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- Bathukamma — Telangana women's floral festival dance around a flower stack.
- Karma — tribal dance of Gond/Baiga communities across MP, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
- Panthi — devotional dance of the Satnami community of Chhattisgarh.
Memory Tables
Table A — State to Signature Folk Dance (quick lookup)
| State/UT | Folk Dance(s) |
|---|---|
| Punjab | Bhangra (male), Giddha (female) |
| Rajasthan | Ghoomar, Kalbelia, Kachhi Ghodi, Chari |
| Haryana | Jhumar, Phag |
| Himachal Pradesh | Nati, Losar Shona Chuksam |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Rauf, Dumhal |
| Ladakh | Cham |
| Uttar Pradesh | Raslila, Charkula, Nautanki |
| Uttarakhand | Chholiya, Langvir Nritya |
| Gujarat | Garba, Dandiya Raas |
| Maharashtra | Lavani, Koli, Lezim |
| Goa | Dekhni, Fugdi |
| West Bengal | Chhau (Purulia), Gambhira, Baul |
| Odisha | Chhau (Mayurbhanj), Ghumura, Dalkhai |
| Jharkhand | Chhau (Seraikella), Jhumair, Paika |
| Bihar | Jat-Jatin, Jhijhian |
| Assam | Bihu |
| Nagaland | Naga war dances |
| Manipur | Thang-Ta, Lai Haraoba |
| Mizoram | Cheraw (Bamboo Dance) |
| Meghalaya | Shad Suk Mynsiem |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Buiya, Ponung |
| Tripura | Hojagiri |
| Sikkim | Chu Faat, Singhi Chham |
| Tamil Nadu | Karakattam, Kummi, Oyilattam |
| Kerala | Theyyam, Thiruvathirakali, Kaikottikali |
| Karnataka | Yakshagana, Dollu Kunitha |
| Andhra Pradesh/Telangana | Kolattam, Lambadi, Bathukamma |
| Madhya Pradesh | Karma, tribal Gond dances |
| Chhattisgarh | Saila, Panthi, Karma |
Table B — Occasion/Theme to Dance
| Occasion/Theme | Dance(s) | State |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest festival (Baisakhi) | Bhangra, Giddha | Punjab |
| Navratri (goddess worship) | Garba, Dandiya Raas | Gujarat |
| Spring New Year (Bihu) | Bihu | Assam |
| Onam | Thiruvathirakali | Kerala |
| Weddings | Kachhi Ghodi, Chholiya | Rajasthan, Uttarakhand |
| Martial/war origin | Chhau, Thang-Ta, Paika | WB/Jharkhand/Odisha, Manipur, Jharkhand |
| Deity possession ritual | Theyyam | Kerala |
| Snake-charmer community | Kalbelia | Rajasthan |
| Fisherfolk community | Koli dance | Maharashtra |
| Tribal harvest deity worship | Karma | MP/Chhattisgarh/Jharkhand |
Practice MCQs
Q1. Bhangra, the vigorous male folk dance performed at Baisakhi, originated in which state? (a) Haryana (b) Punjab (c) Himachal Pradesh (d) Rajasthan
Q2. Which folk dance is the female counterpart of Bhangra in Punjab? (a) Ghoomar (b) Lavani (c) Giddha (d) Kummi
Q3. Ghoomar, performed by women in swirling ghagras, is a folk dance of which state? (a) Gujarat (b) Rajasthan (c) Madhya Pradesh (d) Haryana
Q4. Which of the following folk dances was inscribed by UNESCO on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010? (a) Ghoomar (b) Bihu (c) Kalbelia (d) Garba
Q5. Chhau dance, in its masked and unmasked sub-styles, is associated with which three states? (a) Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal (b) West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha (c) Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal (d) Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha
Q6. Which sub-style of Chhau is traditionally performed without masks? (a) Purulia Chhau (b) Seraikella Chhau (c) Mayurbhanj Chhau (d) None of the above
Q7. Bihu, the folk dance performed during the spring harvest festival, belongs to which state? (a) Manipur (b) Assam (c) Tripura (d) Meghalaya
Q8. Match the following folk dances with their states:
- Cheraw A. Meghalaya
- Hojagiri B. Mizoram
- Shad Suk Mynsiem C. Tripura
(a) 1-B, 2-C, 3-A (b) 1-A, 2-B, 3-C (c) 1-C, 2-A, 3-B (d) 1-B, 2-A, 3-C
Q9. Theyyam, a ritual dance in which the performer is believed to be possessed by the deity, is practised mainly in which region? (a) Coastal Karnataka (b) North Kerala (Malabar) (c) South Tamil Nadu (d) Coastal Andhra Pradesh
Q10. Which of the following is a stick dance performed during Navratri in Gujarat, distinct from Garba? (a) Dollu Kunitha (b) Kolattam (c) Dandiya Raas (d) Saila
Q11. Which of the following pairs of dance and state is INCORRECTLY matched? (a) Lavani — Maharashtra (b) Bathukamma — Telangana (c) Karakattam — Kerala (d) Yakshagana — Karnataka
Q12. Ghumura, a martial drum-based folk dance, should not be confused with the similarly named Ghoomar. Ghumura belongs to which state? (a) Rajasthan (b) Odisha (c) Gujarat (d) Chhattisgarh
Q13. The Bamboo Dance, in which dancers step in and out of clapping bamboo poles, is a folk dance of which state? (a) Nagaland (b) Manipur (c) Mizoram (d) Sikkim
Q14. Which of the following folk dances is performed by women balancing a decorated, sometimes lit, pot on the head, and is found in more than one of the given states (Rajasthan's Chari and Bihar's Jhijhian share this feature)? (a) Pot-balancing dances (b) Sword dances (c) Masked dances (d) Stick dances
Q15. Which of the following folk dances is correctly associated with the Satnami community? (a) Panthi — Chhattisgarh (b) Saila — Madhya Pradesh (c) Karma — Rajasthan (d) Jhumair — Bihar
Answer Key
| Q | Answer | One-line reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (b) | Bhangra is Punjab's harvest dance performed at Baisakhi. |
| 2 | (c) | Giddha is the women's dance form parallel to Bhangra in Punjab. |
| 3 | (b) | Ghoomar is the signature women's dance of Rajasthan. |
| 4 | (c) | Kalbelia songs and dances were UNESCO-listed in 2010. |
| 5 | (b) | Chhau spans West Bengal (Purulia), Jharkhand (Seraikella) and Odisha (Mayurbhanj). |
| 6 | (c) | Mayurbhanj Chhau is performed without masks, unlike Purulia and Seraikella. |
| 7 | (b) | Bihu is performed in Assam during the Rongali/Bohag Bihu festival. |
| 8 | (d) | Cheraw-Mizoram, Hojagiri-Tripura, Shad Suk Mynsiem-Meghalaya. |
| 9 | (b) | Theyyam is a ritual worship dance of the Malabar region of north Kerala. |
| 10 | (c) | Dandiya Raas is Gujarat's stick dance performed alongside Garba during Navratri. |
| 11 | (c) | Karakattam belongs to Tamil Nadu, not Kerala. |
| 12 | (b) | Ghumura is Odisha's martial drum dance, distinct from Rajasthan's Ghoomar. |
| 13 | (c) | Cheraw, the Bamboo Dance, is a folk dance of Mizoram. |
| 14 | (a) | Both Chari (Rajasthan) and Jhijhian (Bihar) are pot-balancing dances performed by women. |
| 15 | (a) | Panthi is the devotional dance of the Satnami community of Chhattisgarh. |