Gof Gunthan is a traditional Navratri Garba dance with more than 250 years of history. The dance is performed annually during Sharada Navratri (September – October). A popular dance form of the Koli and Kanabi community in Saurashtra, this is a variation of Dandiya Raas.
In Saurashtra, Raas is performed by men, and the dance performed by women is known as Raasda. Gopgunthan, Dandiya Raas, Solanga Raas, and Mer Dandiya Raas are other popular forms of Raas.
Also popularly known as Athanga Nritya, Gof is a very intricate form of Raas from the Saurashtra region of Gujurat. In the dance, each dancer holds a stick in one hand, and a string in the other, tied to a ring hung from the ceiling. This dance is very similar to the South Indian folk dance called Pinnal Kollattam.
The instruments accompanying this dance form are harmonium, tabla, dhol, and manjira. As the music builds in tempo, the dancers perform various styles of raas, such as Fundadi, Bethak, and Thappa. In their movements, this form of Raas aims to weave a braid with the strings while creating a pattern with the music and the dandiyas in hand. Finally, they unweave the braid as they dance, striking the sticks with each other in a rhythmic way.
