The tribes of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and the Tarpa, Dhol, Bhavada and Gherria dances

Background

The district administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli places the district on the western side of the foothills of the Western Ghats, with undulating terrain and 41.63% of its total geographical area under forest. It records the major tribes of the district as Varlies, Kokana, Dhodia and Dublas, and says no occasion in tribal life, whether a marriage or a harvest, is complete without a folk dance. The major dances it names are Tarpa, Dhol, Bhavada and Gherria. The district covers 491.00 sq.kms and recorded a population of 343709 at the 2011 Census. Its major river, the Daman Ganga, and its tributaries criss-cross the district and drain into the Arabian Sea at Daman. The administration's own account records the territory as comprising 72 villages.