About Rathwa Dance

Rathwa Dance

The Rathwas are an Adivasi caste of Gujarat. The name of the tribe has been derived from the term “rathbistar” which means the forest and hilly areas. Thus the people who are the inhabitants of the rathbistar are called Rathwas.

They are mainly distributed in the Chhota Udaipur, Jabugam and Nasvadi talukas of Vadodara district and also in Halol, Kalol and Baria talukas of Panchmahal district.

The female members dress up with the ghagaro (lower garment) and cholia (upper garment).

They also wear fasi at the wrist which is made up of silver. They wear biti (finger ring).

Outfit of Rathwa Dance

The traditional dress of the adult male members is langoti (loin cloth), kachuta and the phenta (headgear). Now young people wear pant and shirt. The women wear kala (armlet) made up of chandi (silver) but kala, (armlet) of men is of iron.

They also participate in the festivals of Diwali, Holi, Dashera, Ujani and Pithora with great enthusiasm. Their traditional dance is named upon their caste which is Rathwa danc and is famous in Chotaudepur.

They take part in every festival despite having their own culture and community with a priest. Rathwa people are known for their unique tattoo marks which almost every person in the community has.

Rathwa dance is similar to any other dance but their attire makes it different and the steps that they perform and the music.

They are also known for their amazing and colourful jewelleries most of which are made of silver or chandi. They are found in Gujarat and are also accepted by other communities. They have also been listed in the Scheduled caste list by the government.

They have their own way of living and everything is different for them however they can easily mix up with people of other communities. They are lively and jolly people who have a unique dance form like others.