Gandharv
Encyclopedia
The Gandharv, or sometimes pronounced Gandharb are a Hindu
community found in North India
.
texts as a group associated with singing and dancing to entertain the gods. They are divided into seven exogamous clans, known as gotra
s. These seven clans are the Arakh, Sital, Ramsi, Shahimal, Hiwan, Panchbhaiya, and Dhomana. The Gandharv are found mainly in the Hindu
holy cities of Allahabad
and Varanasi
. They speak both standard Hindi and the Bhojpuri dialect.Traditionally, the Gandharv were a community of singers and musicians, who were often employed by nautch
girls. Half of the fees were given to the Gandharv. They have a seen a decline in their traditional occupation, and many are now landless agricultural labourers.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
community found in North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
.
Origin
The Gandharv are an ancient community, frequently mentioned in ancient SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
texts as a group associated with singing and dancing to entertain the gods. They are divided into seven exogamous clans, known as gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
s. These seven clans are the Arakh, Sital, Ramsi, Shahimal, Hiwan, Panchbhaiya, and Dhomana. The Gandharv are found mainly in the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
holy cities of Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
and Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
. They speak both standard Hindi and the Bhojpuri dialect.Traditionally, the Gandharv were a community of singers and musicians, who were often employed by nautch
Nautch
In North India, Nautch is one of several styles of popular dance, performed by girls known as "Nautch girls". The word Nautch is an anglicized version of नाच , a word found in Hindi and Urdu , and several other languages of North India, derived from the Sanskrit, Nritya, via the Prakrit, Nachcha...
girls. Half of the fees were given to the Gandharv. They have a seen a decline in their traditional occupation, and many are now landless agricultural labourers.