Bhavai (meaning strolling players) is a popular folk theatre form of Gujarat. Veshas (costume) or Bhavai dance dramas are also known as Swang (vaudeville /melodrama).

Bhavai is as much a form of entertainment as it is a kind of ritual offering made to the goddess Amba. In the courtyard of the Ambaji temple near Mount Abu the Navratri festival is celebrated with a good many Bhavai performances. Amba (mother goddess) is the presiding deity of Bhavai performances. According to scholars, the term Bhavai is composed of two words- Bhava and Aai. Bhava means universe and Aai is mother; together they signify the mother of the universe, Amba.

A salient feature of the Bhavai is subtle social criticism laced with pungent humour. Some of the Bhavai dance-dramas present a scathing review of the caste-ridden social structure. People belonging to divergent social strata, from the king to the pauper are portrayed in Bhavai. Humor plays a vital role in a Bhavai performance, which is evident enough even while dealing with mythological personages..

The language of Bhavai is a blend of Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, and Marwari.

The musical instruments accompanying Bhavai performances are the pakhwaj (an indigenous drum), jhanjha (cymbals), sarangi (a stringed instrument), and the harmonium. The music is Hindustani classical , interspersed with local tunes. A characteristic instrument of the Bhavai is the bhungal – a four feet long copper pipe, played during dance sequences and also to indicate the entry of important characters.

Bhavai (Rajasthan)

A folk dance of the same name exists in Gujarat’s neighbouring state of Rajasthan.In Rajasthan, this spectcular dance form consists of veiled women dancers balancing nearly seven or nine brass pitchers as they dance dexterously, pirouetting and swaying with the soles of their feet perched on top of a glass or on the edge of a sword. There is a sense of nail-biting susupense as the perfermance reaches a crescendo.