Manganiar

The Manganiar and related Langha are Muslim communities in the desert of Rajasthan, India in the districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer, along the border in Sindh province of Pakistan. Significant numbers are also found in the districts of Tharparkar and Sanghar in the province of Sindh in Pakistan. They are famous for their classical folk music. They are the groups of hereditary professional musicians, whose music has been supported by wealthy landlords and aristocrats for generations.

History and origin

The Manganiars consider themselves descendants of the Rajputs and are renowned as highly skilled folk musicians of the Thar desert. Their songs are passed on from generation to generation as a form of oral history of the desert. They sing songs about Alexander the Great, about the local Maharajas and past battles in the region. Manganiars have survived for centuries on the patronage of wealthy merchants in caravan towns, particularly Jaisalmer where there is an important settled community today. The traditional jajman (patrons) of the Manganiar are the locally dominant Rajput community, while the Langha have a similar relationship with the Sindhi-Sipahi, a community of Muslim Rajputs. At times of birth, marriage or any family festivity for their Rajput patrons, the Manganiar musicians are in attendance to evoke the right mood with songs of the desert and many specially composed songs to praise the patron and his family.