Terah Taal is practiced and professionally performed especially by members of the Kamada tribe, the traditional snake charmers of the state. Other clans among whom this rich folk art is common are Mirasi, Bhand, Dholi, Bhat and Nat. The areas of the state inhabited by these tribes are well known to cultivate this art and Deedwana and Pokaran are the two main hubs of Terah Taal practice. It is performed as a ritual art at the Baba Ramdev temple at Runecha.
While the women of the state of Rajasthan actually perform the Terah Taal vocal support is lent by the men who play the Ektara, a one stringed instrument or the four-stringed Chau-Tara and sing lilting folk melodies. The women don colorful, embroidered ghagras and the Manjeeras are ties up to thirteen different parts of the body such as hands, legs and forehead. In the course of the dance, these women sway and twist their bodies bringing together the discs to the beats of the melody thus producing the clang or the taal. This is why the dance form is known as Terah Taal or thirteen beats. Sometimes these performers hold a sword between their teeth to introduce an element of risk into the dance. Such precision and accuracy and the spirited performance always earns these tribal womenfolk their due applause.
