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When the sun sets over the dunes near Jaisalmer, it is not unusual to hear a voice rise above the sound of a bowed string instrument — a Manganiyar singer performing a song that the singer's family has sung for centuries. The folk music of Rajasthan is one of the richest in India, carried by communities of hereditary musicians, devotional singers and storytellers, and played on instruments found nowhere else. RAS asks about both the performers and the instruments.
The hereditary musicians of the desert
Manganiyars
- A community of hereditary Muslim musicians from Jaisalmer and Barmer.
- Traditionally performed for Hindu Rajput patrons (jajmans) at births, weddings and festivals, receiving gifts in return — a relationship lasting generations.
- Their main instrument is the kamaicha, a bowed string instrument with a large, round resonator covered in goatskin.
- Their repertoire includes devotional songs, ballads, and songs praising patrons.
Langas
- Another community of hereditary Muslim musicians from western Rajasthan (around Barmer and Jodhpur).
- Traditionally performed for Sindhi Muslim patrons (such as the Sindhi Sipahis).
- Known for the Sindhi sarangi and the algoza (double flute).
In recent decades, many of these musicians have performed internationally, and projects to document and support them have grown. At the same time, the old patronage system has weakened, and livelihoods have become more precarious.
Maand and Allah Jilai Bai
Maand is a refined, semi-classical singing style of Rajasthan's courts, associated with themes of love, longing and the desert landscape.
Allah Jilai Bai (1902–1992) of Bikaner was its most famous exponent. Her rendition of "Kesariya Balam" — a song of welcome — became Rajasthan's signature song. She received the Padma Shri in 1982.
The Bhopas and the epic of Pabuji
The Bhopas are priest-singers who perform the epic of the folk deity Pabuji at night, in front of a long painted phad scroll. A Bhopa sings and plays the ravanhattha (a simple bowed instrument with a coconut-shell resonator), while his wife, the Bhopi, holds a lamp to light the relevant part of the scroll and joins in the singing. Similar performances narrate the story of Devnarayan.
Other performers and song forms
| Performers / form | Notes |
|---|---|
| Kalbeliyas | Snake-charmer community; music accompanies the Kalbeliya dance (see our post on dances) |
| Kamad | Perform Terah Taali in honour of Ramdevji |
| Jogis of Alwar (Mewat) | Sing ballads to the bhapang |
| Panihari songs | Songs of women carrying water |
| Kurja songs | A woman sends a message to her absent husband through the kurja bird (demoiselle crane) |
| Holi songs (phag) | Sung with the chang drum |
| Bhajans of Mirabai and other saints | Devotional songs across the state |
Instruments
Indian instruments are traditionally classified into four groups. Rajasthan has distinctive examples of each.
| Type | Meaning | Rajasthan examples |
|---|---|---|
| Tat vadya (string) | Plucked or bowed strings | Kamaicha (Manganiyars), Sindhi sarangi and Gujratan sarangi (Langas), ravanhattha (Bhopas), ektara, bhapang (a single-string instrument played by pulling a string attached to a drum-like body; associated with Alwar) |
| Sushir vadya (wind) | Wind instruments | Algoza (double flute), satara, murli, shehnai, poongi (snake-charmer's pipe), narh |
| Avanaddh vadya (membrane percussion) | Drums | Nagara, dhol, chang (large frame drum for Holi), damru, matka |
| Ghana vadya (solid percussion) | Instruments struck together | Khartal (wooden clappers), manjira (small cymbals used in Terah Taali), morchang (jaw harp — sometimes classified with wind) |
Why folk music matters
- It preserves oral history — genealogies, ballads and epics.
- It shows communal harmony — Muslim musicians, Hindu patrons, shared devotion.
- It is a tourism asset — the Jodhpur RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival) and desert festivals showcase it.
- It faces challenges — declining patronage, migration, commercialisation.
Practice
Prelims-style:
- Which community plays the kamaicha?
- Which instrument is associated with the Bhopas of Pabuji?
- Who sang "Kesariya Balam", and when did she receive the Padma Shri?
- Which instrument is associated with the Jogis of Alwar?
- What is the algoza?
Mains-style (50 words): Who are the Manganiyars?
Mains-style (100 words): "Rajasthan's folk music is a living example of cultural syncretism." Discuss.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Rajasthan Public Service Commission website .
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