<Tr> <Th> Etymology </Th> <Td> from gárbha, Sanskrit for "womb" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Origin </Th> <Td> Gujarat, India </Td> </Tr> <P> Garba (ગરબા in Gujarati) is a form of dance which originated in the state of Gujarat in India . The name is derived from the Sanskrit term Garbha ("womb") and Deep ("a small earthenware lamp"). Many traditional garbas are performed around a centrally lit lamp or a picture or statue of the Goddess Shakti . The circular and spiral figures of garba have similarities to other spiritual dances, such as those of Sufi culture (garba being an earlier tradition). Traditionally, it is performed during the nine - day Hindu festival Navarātrī (Gujarati નવરાત્રી Nava = 9, rātrī = nights). Either the lamp (the Garba Deep) or an image of the Goddess, Durga (also called Amba) is placed in the middle of concentric rings as an object of veneration . </P> <P> The word garba comes from the Sanskrit word for womb and so implies gestation or pregnancy--life . Traditionally, the dance is performed around a clay lantern with a light inside, called a Garbha Deep ("womb lamp"). This lantern represents life, and the fetus in the womb in particular . The dancers thus honor Durga, the feminine form of divinity . </P>

Garba is the folk dance of which state