Garba and Dandiya in Gujarat during Navratri

But while everyone dances to the garba tunes, do you know why is it performed?

Both these dance forms are actually a depiction of the 9-day battle between goddess Durga and Mahishasura.

The goddess emerges victorious and hence the celebrations.

Garba is performed before the aarti while dandiya is played after it, in the late evenings usually.

In garba, people dance around a earthen pot which has a lamp called 'garbha deep' lit inside.

In dandiya, both men and women dance with colouful sticks, striking them to the beats of dholak and tabla usually.

Started in Gujarat, now both these dance forms are performed with enthusiasm all through evenings and nights in various parts of India.

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