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Siddis Dancers and musicians from Sasan Gir dancing during the shooting of a video in Diu. The Siddis came to india a few centuries ago from Uganda, according to a saying they were given as slaves to the nawab of Junagadh.
According to Wikipedia Siddis people were presented as slaves by the Portuguese to the local Prince, Nawab of Junagadh, the Siddis also live around Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, the last refuge in the world of the almost extinct Asiatic Lions, in Junagadh a district of the state of Gujarat, India.
On the way to Deva-dungar is the quaint village of Sirvan, inhabited entirely by Siddis, a tribe of African people. They were brought 300 years ago from Africa, by the Portuguese for the Nawab of Junagadh. Today, they follow very few of their original customs, with a few exceptions like the traditional Dhamal dance. Although Gujarati Siddis have adopted the language and many customs of their surrounding populations, some African traditions have been preserved. These include the Goma music and dance form, which is sometimes called Dhamaal (Gujarati: ધમાલ, fun).[19] The term is believed to be derived from the Ngoma drumming and dance forms of East Africa. The Goma also has a spiritual significance and, at the climax of the dance, some dancers are believed to be vehicles for the presence of Siddi saints of the past.
On the Dwarka ghats, some indian photographers make a business taking shots of the pilgrims coming for krishna.
We are not in Sicilia! The traditionnal women clothes of the area is about black and red. The women are listening the photographer , before posing, always in a very conventionnal way.
Men and women separately. Shot taken from Dwaraka, Gujrat.
Bohteyr (72) jinalaya Jain temple complex in Kutch - about 50 km from Bhuj, enroute to Mandvi. The octagonal main temple (pictured above) is surrounded by smaller shrines to various Jain deities. Hand-carved in marble, the fully constructed complex is open for visitors but carving of the marble is on-going. Begun in 1982, it will be a while before everything is carved.
Quite a unique opportunity to see marble carving in process rather than the usual finished temples. The craftsmen are from Rajasthan and they are quite proud of their craft and heritage, and very happy to be working on this temple. Preserving local crafts is a critical form of historic preservation because the enduring practice of indigenous trades preserves identity, patriotism, and local economy.
Taken from Ellis Bridge looking over a tool trader's spot at the Ravivar Bazaar (Sunday Market) in Ahmedabad. The display of tools at this particular stall is about 4 times that which you can see here and is all set up for only one day a week.
Labels: Ahmedabad, child labour, children, GUJARAT, street sellers
There is a tent site near Devaliya Naka, Sasan Gir. I came to know about it only on my last day in Sasan Gir. Spent one night here. It is very cheap and right in the middle of the jungle. It is around Rs. 300-400/night for a couple. The food's amazing. The kitchen is shown above.
The site/kitchen is owned/run by a family of farmers to supplement their income. Support local industry when you travel. Say no to 5 stars.
Harijan or Meghwal tribal bride.
The name Harijan was given by Mahatma Gandhi to the Meghwal people. Hari means God and Jan means People. Meghwals are originally from Marwar in Rajasthan. They are experts in weaving wool and cotton and make attractive leather embroidery and wood carving.
Meghwals live all over Kutch. They always live in groups outside the village. Their houses are very clean and decorated by cowdung mud and mirrors. The men do leather work, wood carving and women do embroidery and patchwork. They live close to the Muslim families. They often borrow embroidery patterns and techniques from Muslim neighbours. They worship Ramdevpir.