Navratri’s just round the corner, and with this festival comes the sound of the dhol, the sparkle of sequins, and the sight of thousands of feet moving to a rhythm. But behind the colours and the music, lies a story that takes us through time, history, and mythology.

Near the UNESCO world heritage site of Champaner, Gujarat, on a hilltop, you will find Pavagadh, a place, according to legends, was the Goddess Mahakali once danced the garba during this time, blessing everyone with her presence and divine grace. The whispers say that even now, if you listen closely, you might hear the faint echo of anklets jingling, keeping rhythm with a beat older than time.

(Pavagadh Mahakali Temple)

This is where the story of Garba begins, as more than just a dance, as a living circle of devotion, wonder, and joy.

The Clay Pot

When you look at it, it looks ordinary. A simple clay pot, but to the people of Gujarat, it is the ‘Garbo’, the womb of creation itself. Inside the ‘Garbo’ a lamp burns steadily, symbolising life, and traditionally,dancers move in circles around it.

How A Dance Was Born

We twirl, we clap, and lose ourselves while dancing and performing the Garba, but how often do we wonder where it all began? The answer is a tale as captivating as the dance itself.

The stories tell us that Usha, Krishna’s granddaughter-in-law wished to dance like the Goddess Parvati herself. Parvati taught Usha how to perform ‘Lasya’, which she took, and tweaked it to create ‘Garba’, which she proceeded to teach the women of Dwarka.

This was how Garba was born, as a celebration of life itself! 

When you perform the Garba, you move in circles, and each circle is a story; of birth and death, of the changing of seasons, and of the universe itself spinning. Here’s where it gets interesting. On watching closely, you’ll see how the poorest of the poor, and the richest of the rich dance to the same rhythm, their social differences dissolving into the music. For these nine nights, no one stands apart. Garba isn’t the dance of the elite, it is the dance of the people.

From Gujarat to the World

Garba’s biggest strength is that it refuses to stay limited to one place. It has grown beyond Gujarat’s courtyards and grounds, beyond even India, and has crossed oceans and borders. 

It found a place on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2024, with the announcement in Paris fittingly paired with a grand Garba night that made the French capital move to Indian, and Gujarati rhythms. 

Today, Garba nights are held all across the world, be it New Jersey, Nairobi, London, or even Melbourne. Colourful dresses shine under the lights, the sound of claps echoes all over the venue, and in that moment, the whole world seems to dance to the same beats.

Garba is inclusive, so it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the steps. Just step into the circle, and you will be carried along like a river pulling you into its flow

Why Garba Matters

Garba isn’t about just dancing. It’s also about remembering that life moves around in circles. It’s about watching boundaries dissolve, and being part of something greater than yourself.

So, the next time you’re at a Garba night, step into the circle and lose yourself to the rhythm, and then, you’ll feel like you’re part of an ancient tradition, passed on generation after generation, since time immemorial.