Pariksha SaathiLesson 9 of 10 · Haryana General Knowledge
Language, Folk Culture and Festivals of Haryana
Drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked on 28 October 2026; not yet read line by line by a human editor. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Editorial standards & corrections
Language and dialects
Hindi is the official language of Haryana, and the everyday speech of most people is Haryanvi, a form of Western Hindi that George Grierson's Linguistic Survey of India placed close to Khari Boli. It has several regional forms. Bangru, also called Deswali or Jatu, is spoken in the central Bangar tract around Rohtak, Jhajjar, Jind and Sonipat and is the 'standard' Haryanvi of songs and Saang. Bagri, close to Rajasthani, is spoken in the western sandy tract of Sirsa, Hisar and Bhiwani; Ahirwati in the southern Ahirwal belt of Rewari, Mahendragarh and parts of Gurugram; Mewati in Nuh (Mewat) and nearby areas; and Brajbhasha in Palwal and the Faridabad area along the Uttar Pradesh border. In the north-east along the Yamuna the speech shades into Khari Boli, and Punjabi is widely spoken near Punjab.
Saang and Ragini
Saang (Swang) is Haryana's folk theatre: an open-air performance, usually at night on a simple stage, in which a troupe of men acts out stories from mythology, history and folk legend through verse, song and dialogue, with men playing the women's roles. Its greatest master was Pt. Lakhmi Chand (1903-1945) of Janti Kalan in Sonipat district, honoured as the 'Surya Kavi' (sun among poets) of Haryanvi; Saangs of his such as Raja Harishchandra, Meera Bai and Shahi Lakadhara are still performed. Other noted Saangis include Pt. Mange Ram and Baje Bhagat. The Ragini, a sung verse form that grew out of Saang, is today the most popular Haryanvi folk song genre.
Folk dances
Each dance belongs to a season or an occasion. Phag is danced by men and women in the month of Phalgun, when the rabi crop is ripening, with drums and colour. Loor is danced by girls of the Bangar region in Phalgun, with songs in a question-and-answer style. Khoria is a women's dance of the Bangar tract, performed especially at weddings on the night the baraat (the groom's party) leaves the house. Dhamal is a vigorous men's dance of southern Haryana, danced in Phalgun to the beat of the daf (frame drum). Ghoomar is danced by girls in the areas bordering Rajasthan, turning in circles on festive nights such as Holi and Teej. The Gugga dance is performed by devotees of Gugga Pir around Gugga Navami, and Chhathi is danced by women on the sixth night after the birth of a son.
Festivals and fairs
Teej (Hariyali Teej), in the monsoon month of Sawan, is the great women's festival, with swings on trees, songs and sweets such as ghevar. Gugga Navami, in Bhadrapad, honours Gugga Pir (Jahar Veer), the snake deity. Gita Jayanti is celebrated at Kurukshetra on Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi (November-December), now as the International Gita Mahotsav. The Surajkund International Crafts Mela, begun in 1987, is held every February at Surajkund in Faridabad, with a different Indian state as the theme state each year and artisans from many countries. Other fairs include the solar eclipse fair at Kurukshetra, the Kapal Mochan fair near Bilaspur (Yamunanagar) on Kartik Purnima, the Navratra fairs at Mata Mansa Devi (Panchkula) and Sheetla Mata (Gurugram), and the Mango Mela at Pinjore.
Crafts and dress
Phulkari and Bagh embroidery, in bright silk thread on cotton odhnis and shawls, is shared with Punjab. Durries and panja rugs are woven in Panipat and the villages, and Jhajjar is known for its pottery surahis. Other traditional crafts include moodhas (reed stools), hand-made juttis and brassware at Rewari and Jagadhri. Traditional dress for women is the daaman (a long, full skirt), kurti and chunder (a decorated odhni), and for men the dhoti, kurta and pagri (turban).
Music and literature
Folk music uses the dholak, nagara, daf, been, algoza, sarangi, ektara, chimta and khartal. Haryana also gave India the Mewati gharana vocalist Pt. Jasraj (1930-2020), born at Pili Mandori in present Fatehabad district. In literature, Babu Balmukund Gupt was a pioneer of Hindi journalism, and tradition holds that the poet Surdas was born at Sihi near Ballabhgarh (Faridabad), though this is disputed. The saint-poet Garib Das of Chhudani (Jhajjar) wrote devotional verse in the tradition of Kabir. The Pt. Lakhmi Chand State University of Performing and Visual Arts at Rohtak keeps these traditions alive.
Key facts
- Dialects: Bangru or Deswali (centre: Rohtak, Jhajjar, Jind), Bagri (west: Sirsa, Hisar, Bhiwani), Ahirwati (south: Rewari, Mahendragarh), Mewati (Nuh), Brajbhasha (Palwal, Faridabad).
- Saang: open-air folk theatre in verse and song, with men in women's roles; Pt. Lakhmi Chand (1903-1945) of Janti Kalan (Sonipat) is the 'Surya Kavi'.
- Ragini: the most popular Haryanvi folk song form, which grew out of Saang.
- Phag: Phalgun, men and women. Loor: girls of Bangar, Phalgun, question-answer songs. Khoria: women, the night the baraat leaves. Dhamal: men of the south, with the daf. Ghoomar: girls, Rajasthan border.
- Teej (Sawan): swings and ghevar. Gugga Navami (Bhadrapad): Gugga Pir. Gita Jayanti at Kurukshetra on Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi.
- Surajkund International Crafts Mela: Faridabad, every February since 1987, with a theme state each year.
- Fairs: solar eclipse fair (Kurukshetra), Kapal Mochan (Yamunanagar, Kartik Purnima), Mansa Devi (Panchkula), Sheetla Mata (Gurugram), Mango Mela (Pinjore).
- Women's dress: daaman, kurti, chunder; men's: dhoti, kurta, pagri. Crafts: phulkari, durries (Panipat), Jhajjar surahis.
- Pt. Jasraj (Mewati gharana) was born at Pili Mandori (now Fatehabad district); tradition places Surdas's birth at Sihi near Ballabhgarh.
Quick revision
Hindi official; Haryanvi dialects: Bangru/Deswali (centre), Bagri (west), Ahirwati (south), Mewati (Nuh), Braj (Palwal); Saang folk theatre, Pt. Lakhmi Chand 'Surya Kavi' (Janti Kalan, Sonipat), Ragini; dances Phag, Loor, Khoria, Dhamal, Ghoomar, Gugga, Chhathi; Teej, Gugga Navami, Gita Jayanti (Kurukshetra); Surajkund Crafts Mela every February since 1987; phulkari, durries, surahis; daaman-kurti-chunder; Pt. Jasraj (Mewati gharana).