Significance of Garba


Garba is a dance form which originated in the state of  Gujarat, performed during Navratri – a nine day festival to worship Goddess Durga. The dance is just not done for merriment but it has a significance . Everything that evolves around the dance has a meaning and symbolises something.

   Garba is traditionally performed around a clay lantern with a light earthen lamp, called the Garbha Deep. The word garba comes from the Sanskrit word for womb and so implies gestation or pregnancy. This lantern represents life, and the fetus in the womb in particular. A betel nut and a silver coin are placed within the pot, termed as Kumbh, on top of which a coconut is placed, the kumbh represents the womb here.
participants dancing around the garbhadeep

      The Garbha Deep has another symbolic interpretation. The lighted lantern represents the body and the divinity that resides within it. Garba is danced to honor the fact that all humans have the divine energy of Devi within them.
                 We all know that Garba is  performed in a circle, there is a Reason, the circle stands for the Hindu view of time. Life progresses from birth, to life, to death and again to rebirth; however, the only thing that remains constant is the divine or in this case, the goddess.
Garba is the one of the most colorful dance forms performed by both men and women. Starting with a slow pace, the energy level of participants increases with the fast beat and pace of the music. Fluid movements, hands clapping , bodies gracefully swaying 
participants playing garba in a cirles.
to the music, arms coming together in beautiful sweeping gestures; nothing can match  the grace of Garba.
Garba is performed throughout the nine nights of Navaratri. Vadodara, the cultural capital of Gujarat is the best place to perform or witness Garba

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