Garhwali Folk Music

Chhopati
These are the folk songs popular in the Rawain - Jaunpur area of Tehri Garhwal. 'Chhopati' are the love songs sung between men and women in the form of questions and answers.

Chounphula and Jhumeila
"Chounphula and Jhumeila" are among seasonal dances, that are performed from 'Basant Panchami' onwards to 'Sankranti' or Baisakhi'. 'Jhumeila' is sometimes mixed but is usually restricted to women. 'Chounphula' is performed by all sections of the community, at night, in groups, by men and women. 'Chounphula' folk songs are composed for the appreciation of nature on various occasions. Chounpala, Jhmeila and Daryola folk songs all derive their names from the folk dances of the same nomenclature.

Basanti
"Basanti” folk songs are composed for the coming spring season when flowers bloom and new life springs in the valleys of the hills of Garhwal. The folk song is sung individually or in groups.

Mangal
Mangal songs are sung during marriage ceremonies. These songs are basically "Puja Songs" (hymns) sung along with the Purohits (Panditjee/priests) who keep chanting "Shlokas"(verses) in Sanskrit according to the Shastras (scriptures) during the marriage ceremony.

Puja Folk Songs
These songs are connected with the Puja (worship) of family deities. There are other Puja songs connected with 'Tantra' and 'Mantras ' to exorcise evil spirits from human beings.

Jaggar
Jaggar falls in the category of ghost and spirit worship, in the form of a folk song or, at times, combined with dances. Sometimes, Jaggar may also be in the form of Puja folk songs and is sung in honour of the various Gods and Goddesses.

Bajuband
This is a folk song of love and sacrifice among the shepherds. It is a love dialogue between a man and woman, or, between a boy and girl.

Khuded
These folk songs depict the suffering of a woman caused by separation from her husband. The women curse the circumstances under which she has been separated. This is generally when the husband is away looking for a job. 'Laman', another folk song is sung on special occasions, expressing the sacrifice that a man is willing to undergo for his beloved. 'Pawada' also belongs to this category of folk songs, when sorrow is felt when the husband has gone to the battle field.

Chhura
'Chhura' folk songs are sung among shepherds, in the form of advice given by the old to the young, learnt from their experience, particularly about grazing sheep and goats.

Garhwali Dance Forms

Langvir Nritya
This is an acrobatic dance and is performed by the men folk only. In this dance, a long bamboo pole is fixed at a place. The dancer-acrobat climbs to the top of this pole and then balances himself on his stomach on the top. Under the pole, a band of musicians play the 'Dhol' and 'Damana', while the dancer rotates on the top of the pole, performing other feats with his hands and feet. This dance is popular in the Tehri Garhwal region.

Barada Nati
The Barada Nati folk dance is a popular dance of the Jaunsar Bhawar area of Chakrata Tehsil in Dehradun district. The folk dance is performed on the eve of some religious festivals or on the occasion of some social functions. Both boys and girls take part in the dance dressed in colourful traditional costumes.

Pandav Nritya
The Pandav Nritya, which is related to the story of the Mahabharata, has been very popular, particularly in the Garhwal region. Pandavas Nritya is nothing but a simple narration of the story of the Mahabharata in the form of dance and music. It is mostly enacted on the occasion of 'Dussehra' and Diwali. Pandavas Nritya is popular in Chamoli district and Pauri Garhwal.

Garhwal Ethnic Groups

Present day Garhwal is inhabited by people from many ethnic back grounds. They can be divided into the following groups or castes:

1. Rajputs
The Rajputs of Garhwal are believed to be of Aryan origin. They came as waves of settlers either from the south or from the adjoining tracts of Himachal Pradesh, where they had come from the Hindu Kush through Kashmir. Later Rajput settlers to Garhwal aIso came from Rajasthan to escape from the invasions of the Muslims/Mughals. These people fought and subdued the Kols or Koltas or Doms, who were living in Garhwal at that time. Initially, the Rajputs took to settled agriculture as they had brought new skills with them. Later on, they took to other professions. They also joined the armies of various kings of Garhwal in large numbers. At present, the Rajputs can be found in most professions-agriculture, business and government service. Many Garhwali Rajputs are in the Armed Forces of India, particularly in the Army.

2. Brahmins
The Brahmins of Garhwal are primarily considered to be the descen- dants of the priests who migrated from the plains or the Brahmins who came to visit the religious places in Garhwal. As a matter of fact, those Brahmins, too, are settled in Garhwal, who came during the migration of the Rajputs or even later.

Both, the Rajputs and Brahmins penetrated into the valleys of Garhwal to escape the rule of the Muslim invaders in the plains of India. There they founded villages or colonies, most of which were named after the places from where they had migrated. Some examples are:

Ajmer patti and Udaipur patti, and
Telangi after Telangana.
In other cases, the people still retained their surnames or named themselves after the place from where they had came. Some examples are:

Karnatak and Telang after Mysore (Karnataka), and
Rawat and Joshi of Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

3. Tribals
The tribals of Garhwal live in the upper, e.g. northern tracts. Some are of mongoloid origin and have a nomadic or semi-nomadic way of life. However, now-a-days, most of these people have taken to a settled life and are engaged in animal husbandry, agriculture, trade and other occupations. Important tribes of Garhwal are listed below:

Jaunsaris of Jaunsar-Bawar
Jadhs of Uttarkashi
Marchas of Chamoli (Mana and Niti valleys)
Van Gujars

4. The Bhotias
The Bhotias are businessmen and born mountaineers. The Bhotias of Uttarakhand claim descent from the Rajputs, who came from Kumaon and Garhwal and settled in the higher valleys.The Bhotias are to be found all along the Tibetan border from Nepal in the east to Uttarkashi in the west.

Those living close to the Mana pass near Badrinath and those by the Niti pass are known as Tolchas and Marchas, respectively. The people living by the Untadhura pass are Joharis and Saukas. To the south of Johar are the Bhotias or Jethora Bhotias, who are cultivators.

Bhotias are worshippers of the peaks of Nanda Devi, Pancha Chuli etc. and those who are inclined towards Hinduism worship Gabla ( the Weather God), Runiya and Suniya gods, protect their animals from disease, and Sidhuwa and Bidhuwa gods, who help them find lost animals.

5. Jadhs
The Jadhs are a tribal community inhabiting the cold dry tracts of Uttarkashi District. There are two main villages - Nelang and Jadhang -- both situated at an elevation of about 3,400 m. The entire community used to migrate from these high altitude villages in the winter, some families staying back at a settlement called Dunda, while the rest of them moved onto the forests around Rishikesh.

This community has close social and economic ties with the people living in the adjoining tracts of Himachal Pradesh and other parts of Uttarkashi. Most Jadhs considered themselves to belong to a superior caste and the task of weaving was left to the Kols, who were considered to be of a lower caste. The Jadhs have typical Mongoloid features and speak a Tibetan dialect. They also speak Garhwali and Pahari.

6. Jaunsaries
Jaunsar - Bawar forms the northern half of Dehradun District and the people living there are called the Jaunsaries. They are probably of very pure Aryan stock. This area had links with the ancient cultural waves, which swept over the northern part of India, particularly during the Vedic, Mahayan, Kushan and Gupta periods of ancient Indian history.

The people follow many of the old customs even today, distinct from their compatriots elsewhere in Garhwal, Kumaon and Himachal Pradesh. Even the art and architecture has its unique features, with profound use of woodwork. The most important festival of the Jaunsaries is the Magh Mela. During festivals, they wear the Thalka or Lohiya, which is a long coat.

Thangel folds like tight-fitting trousers. Digwa or the cap is the traditional Jaunsari head dress made of woolen cloth. Women wear the Ghagra, Kurti and Dhoti and are fond of ornaments.

The Jaunsarie still practice polyandry, which are said to be the conse- quence of their having had a close association with the legendary Pandava brothers of the Mahabharata, who had a common wife, Draupadi.

7. The Van Gujars
This is a tribe of nomadic Muslims, who are believed to have come to Garhwal as the dowry of a princess of Sirmaur. This tribe extends along the Himalaya from Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh to Garhwal. They retain many of the cultural practices of the time before they were converted to Islam. They are purely vegetarian, living basically on milk based products to supplement their consumption of cereals. They practice transhumance, migrating in the summer to the high mountain meadows, with their herds of buffaloes and cows, and withdrawing to the forests of the low lying tracks in the winters. Much of the milk supply of the hills during the pilgrimage season is provided by them. They are well-known for their command over forest lore.

All tribal communities have tremendous knowledge of traditional medicine systems and herbs

Garhwali Language

Garhwali is the main language/dialect (BOLI) spoken in Garhwal. It is one of the languages of the central Pahari language group of the Himalaya. Languages of this group are spoken in the eastern parts of Himachal Pradesh and Garhwal. In turn, Garhwali has a number of dialects which are variations of the main languages-

Jaunsari of the people of Jaunsar-Babar and the adjoining tracts
Marchi or Bhotia dialect of the Marchas
Jadhi or dialect of parts of Uttarkashi
Sailani or dialect of parts of Tehri.

Influence of Other Languages and Dialects
Many languages and dialects have had an effect on the Garhwali language. These are:

Bhotia dialect of Tibet and China
Sanskrit, or Hindi, or Hindustani, that is spoken in the areas to the south of Garhwal.
Kumaoni and Nepali spoken in the area to the east of Garhwal.
Languages and dialects of the western Pahari group that is spoken by the people living in the adjoining tracts of Himachal Pradesh.


The influence of these languages and dialects have been found on the Garhwali language because the people speaking them have moved across the borders of various regions and settled in Garhwal. In turn, the peopie of Garhwal, too, have moved to these areas picking up influences of the language spoken there, gradually incorporating them into Garhwali.

Origin of Garhwali

Garhwali is believed to have originated due to any or a combination of the factors below:

Sauraseni Prakrit, which is also considered to be the source of Rajasthani and Brij bhasha
Western or central Pahari language
Sanskrit or its variations

Welcome to pauri Garhwal

The Land of Pauri Garhwal is blessed with splendid view of snow-bound peaks of Himalayas, scenic valleys & surround ings, meandering rivers, dense forests and hospitable people with a rich culture. Diverse in topography, the district of Pauri Garhwal varies from the foothills of the ‘Bhabar’ areas of Kotdwara to the soul-lifting meadows of Dhudatoli, sprawling at an altitude of 3,000 meters. Which remains snow-bound during the winter months. Filled with places of tourist interest, most locations in Pauri Garhwal offer a breathtaking view of the snow laden Himalayan Splendour..

District Pauri Garhwal which is surrounded by the districts of Chamoli, Nanital, Bijnor, Haridwar, Dehradun, Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal,offers a panoramic view of the great Himalayas form it's towns and villages. The majestic Himalaya and it's mountain range can be seen from anywhere in the district.

The Pauri City which is situated at an altitude of 1814 Mts. above the sea-level on the northern slopes of Kandoliya hills is the headquarters of the District Pauri Garhwal and the Garhwal Division. Headquarters of all Govt. departments are located in the city Pauri .

Pauri also provides a panoramic view of the snow covered Himalayan peaks of Nandadevi & Trisul,Gangotri Group,Thalaiya- sagar,Neelkanth, Bandar Poonch, Swarga-Rohini, Kedarnath, kharcha Kund, Satopanth, Chaukhamba, Ghoriparvat, Hathiparvat and Sumeru etc.