Tha Langa and Manganiar are communities of western Rajasthan which have for long practised music professionally for their living. The Langas are possibly descended from drummers in the militias of chieftains who branched off into civil work. Tha Manganiars were employed as musicians in the smaller courts before they found the patronage of the Meghawal community as singers at domestic life-cycle ceremonies. The principal feature of the music of the Langas and Manganiars is an order of ragas and talas modelled after and named as in Hindustani music but independent of the Hindustani code in performance. Regional elements colour the music strongly. It has a rich repertoire of songs of varied content. The bowed Sarangi and Kamaicha are the chief melodic accompaniments and castanets called Khartal provide the rhythm.
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