Folk Songs of Uttarakhand :

Folk Songs of Uttarakhand had its root in the lap of nature. It has seen various phases of growth and has undergone lots of transformation during the course of time. It speaks about various festivals, religious traditions, folk stories and simple life of the people of Uttarakhand. Bajuband, Basanti, Chhopati, Chhura, Chounphula and Jhumeila, Jagars, Khuded, Mangal, Puja Folk Songs are some of the folk songs sung in Uttarakhand.

Bajuband  :

Bajuband of Uttarakhand is mellifluous folk song and has a deep meaning. Bajuband is a romantic song of shepherds community and depicts their love and sacrifice for their beloved. Bajuband of Uttarakhand is widely known across the whole state. Bajuband of Uttarakhand is more like a dialogue of love between a man and a woman or a boy and a girl. The music of this folk song is very sweet and soothing. Bajuband is sung during festivals or on any general occasion. People sing bajuband at Uttarakhand even at the time of proposing their beloved. 

Basanti :

Basanti is one of the most popular folk songs in Uttarakhand which is sung for the arrival of the spring season when the flowers would bloom and would add glare to the beauty of the hill state. Basanti of Uttarakhand is very special song for all the citizens of the state. When the spring is about to take over the Himalayan foothill, people all across the state in various regions start singing Basanti in Uttarakhand.

Chhopati :

Chhopati of Uttarakhand is one of the finest romantic folk songs sung by men and women in the form of question and answers. More often Chhopati in Uttarakhand seems to be dialogue than a song. But the best part of it is that the whole folk song is quite interesting to listen to. Chhopati in Uttarakhand is widely popular as it is one of the best means of expressing one's feeling about their beloved. Chhopati is widely in use at Rawain-Jaunpur in Tehri Garhwal. One can listen to Chhopati from the Jaunpuri tribes there who perform these songs during several occasions. The song is extremely pleasing to the ear and has various instruments playing along with it to make it more melodious and rhythmic. 

Chhura :

Chhura of Uttarakhand is a beautifully written and widely popular folk song for shepherds. For decades, chhura is being sung by the old shepherds for their next generations as a piece of suggestion from their own experience about grazing goats and sheep. The lyrics of chhura in Uttarakhand bears deep meaning and has an emotional aspect as the old men share their feelings with the youth. Every time a young man is about to step into the shoes of a shepherd, he is warned of the do's and dont's that a shepherd must follow by his elders, who have been in this livelihood since a long time, through chhura. 

Chounphula :

Chounphula of Uttarakhand is one of the very special folk song of this Himalayan region as it is written to treasure the nature during various occasions and seasons. Chounphula at Uttarakhand is accompanied by Chounphula dance forms which are generally seasonal dance forms and add more color to the Chounphula song which describes nature's beauty. Chounphula in Uttarakhand is mainly performed by women as they revalue the classic beauty of the Himalayan foothills through their melodious voice. They perform Chounphula at Uttarakhand during various seasons and festivals such as Basant Panchmi to sankranti to Baisakhi. 

Jaggar :

Jaggar of Uttarakhand can be counted amongst one of the multi purpose folk songs as it is used for spirit and ghost worship and it is also used as religious hymns while offering prayers to various gods and goddesses. At times jaggar of Uttarakhand is also accompanied by folk dances. But mostly jaggar at Uttarakhand is performed to call spirits and ghosts of the people so that their family members could meet them and speak to them. Around 50 jaggars in Uttarakhand have been written down for various Gods and Goddesses, spirits and ghosts. The most renowned jaggars of Uttarakhand are Ganganath, Gorilla and Bholanath. 

Jhumeila :

Jhumeila is a type of folk song sung in Uttarakhand. Jhumeila in Uttarakhand is sung to praise the bounty nature for spreading so much of natural wonder all across the Himalayan foothill. Many a times, Jhumeila at Uttarakhand is accompanied by dance which is also known as Jhumeila dance. The Jhumeila song and dance is mainly held for women. Jhumeila of Uttarakhand is performed by women, though at times men also join them, from all the communities during all the major fairs and festivals - be it Baisakhi, Guru Poornima, Makar Sakranti or any other festival related to the nature. Children in their colorful garments also come and enjoy the fervor of Jhumeila in Uttarakhand.

Khuded :

Khuded is one of the most famous folk songs of Uttarakhand which describes the misery and pain of a lady who has been living apart from her husband. Khuded of Uttarakhand is very painful and emotional song. It echoes the suffering of the woman who is left alone after her husband leaves her and goes to another place in search of a job. Khuded of Uttarakhand depicts the life of a low income family where the husband has to move out in search of a better job so that he can run his family, the one which he has to leave behind. Each and every word of the folk song has deep pathos attached to it. 

Mangal  :

Mangal of Uttarakhand is the folk song of the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. These are the traditional songs that are sung when the wedding rituals are on. These songs are considered to be sacred and sung along with the shlokas chanted by the priests. Mangal means "good luck" and this is why in Uttarakhand it is being sung during the wedding so that the new life of the couple starts auspiciously. And this is why it is to be sung when the holy priests are performing the holy rituals along with chanting holy scripts from the holy writings written millions of years ago. 

Puja Folk Songs :

These songs are connected with the Puja (worship) of family deities. There are other Puja songs connected with 'Tantra' and 'Mantras ' to exorcise evil spirits from human beings.