An early group of settlers, believed to be gypsies, or Roma, who travelled out of Southern Asia and Armenia during the Ninth Century, B.C.E. The Roma people (pronounced rahma, singular Rom, sometimes Rroma, and Rrom) along with the closely related Sinti people are commonly known as Gypsies in English, and as Tsigany in most of Europe. ... This is a region of the continent of Asia that can have the following interpretations: The Indian Subcontinent and nearby islands in the Indian Ocean; see South Asia India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka All of Asia that is considered to be Southwest, South and Southeast Asia. ... (8th century - 9th century - 10th century - other centuries) Events Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century Viking attacks on Europe begin Oseberg ship burial The Magyars arrive in what is now Hungary, forcing the Serbs and Bulgars south...

There remain several thousand members of the tribe known as the "Dombari" at least in Western India in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. They remain distinct from the local populace in terms of their dress. Women typically wear bright blues and reds, with numerous thick bangles often covering the entire forearms and arms.

They often earn their living by entertaining as street performers and jugglers. In a typical show, known colloqially as Dombaryacha khel i.e. a performance by the Domba(ri), the whole family participates. The older males usually demonstrate their expertise with a long whip, including the ability to withstand self-flagellation of a bare torso with the whip in a fairly dramatic manner. This peculiar feat is not very different from that performed by the Romas or Gypsies in europe.

The older womenfolk often don't actively participate in the show but stand by the sidelines as assistants. The younger members of both genders perform acrobatic feats, again, fairly similar to the Romas of Europe. A typical act in the dombaryacha khel is balancing an hour-glass shaped object on a string, which in turn is tied to a stick at each end. The sticks are flicked sharply to catapult the hourglass object 50-60 feet in the air, which then is expertly caught in the string just before it reaches ground. Adopting a mongrel as a pet is fairly common as is the use of the trained mongrel in their performances.