Garba is a popular folk dance of Gujarat, held at the time of Navaratra. Garba actually refers to “Garbha deep” - an earthen pot with holes, in which a lamp is lit and women dance around it in circular movements with rhythmic clapping.
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Folk Dance - Chhau
The word Chhau originates from ‘Chhaya’ meaning shadow. It is a form of mask dance that uses vigourous martial movements to narrate mythological stories. Some narrations also use natural themes such as Sarpa nritya (serpent dance) or Mayur Nritya (peacock dance).
There are three main styles of Chhau dance – Saraikella Chhau in Jharkhand, Mayurbhanj Chhau in Odisha and Purulia Chhau in West Bengal. Of these, Mayurbhanj Chhau artists don’t wear masks.
In 2010, UNESCO inscribed Chhau in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Haveli Sangeet
This genre of music developed mostly in Rajasthan and Gujarat but now is seen in many parts of the country. It was originally meant to be sung in the temple premises but now are performed outside of
the temple. It is currently practised by a community known as the Pushtimarg Sampradaya or the community that believes in Pushtimarg as the way to salvation.
Rabindra Sangeet
This is one of the most famous forms of composing music in Bengal.
It recreates the music produced by the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The music is a mixture of classical elements and Bengali folk strains. There are more than 2000 Rabindra Sangeet presently sung and performed by music lovers in Bengal. The themes of this sangeet range from worship of the one true god, devotion to nature and its beauty, love and a celebration of life. One of the most prominent emotions in the Rabindra Sangeet was also the strain of patriotism and to keep one’s nation above one’s own needs.
Folk Music - Maand
This folk music is from the state of Rajasthan. It is said to have developed in the royal courts and hence is also recognised in the classical circles. This is neither accepted as a full-fledged Raga nor is it reckoned among the freely rendered folk songs. The songs are usually about the bards singing the glory of the Rajput rulers. It is near to Thumri or Ghazal. The famous song Kesariya Balam is in Maand style.
Folk Music - Alha
This form is from Madhya Pradesh and is a heroic ballad song with intricate words. It is usually sung in different languages like Braj, Awadhi and Bhojpuri. This form is also related to the epic Mahabharata as they try to glorify the heroes who are seen as the reincarnations of the Pandavas. The five brothers of the Pandavas are substituted here as Alha, Udal, Malkhan, Lakhan and Deva.
Folk Music - Pandavani
This type of folk music is based on the grand epic-Mahabharata and Bhima as hero. It is all inclusive of gayan (singing) and vadan (playing an instrument). Usually the songs are set to the rhythm of a tambura. One of the most well known artists is Tijanbai from the state of Chhattisgarh who won the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan for her contribution to this musical field.
Folk Music - Baul
It is not only a type of music but a Bengali religious sect. The music of the Bauls, Baul Sangeet, is a particular type of folk song. Its lyrics carry influences of the Hindu Bhakti movements and the Suphi, a form of Sufi song exemplified by the songs of Kabir and is called ‘Baul Gaan’ or Baul song.
Their music represents a long heritage of preaching mysticism through songs in Bengal, as in the Shahebdhoni or Bolahadi sects.
The prominent propounder of this music is: Yotin Das, Purno Chandra Das, Lalon Phakir, Naboni Das and Sanatan Das Thakur Baul.
Gharana System
A gharana is a system of social organisation linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style.
The word gharana comes from the Urdu/Hindi word ‘ghar’, which means ‘family’ or ‘house’. It typically refers to the place where the musical ideology originated.
A gharana also indicates a comprehensive musicological ideology and differentiates one school from another.
It directly affects the thinking, teaching, performance and appreciation of music.
Some of the gharanas well known for singing Hindustani classical music are: Agra, Gwalior, Indore, Jaipur, Kirana, and Patiala.
Indian Music and Culture - Thaat
Thaat is a system of classification of the ragas in different groups.
Presently, in Hindustani classical music, 10-Thaat classification has been adopted. According to V.N Bhatkhande, one of the most important musicologists in the field of North Indian classical music, each one of the several traditional ragas is based on, or is a variation of 10 basic thaats or musical scales or frameworks. A thaat can only be sung in aaroha as the notes are composed in the ascending order.
A thaat should have seven notes out of the 12 notes (7 Suddha Swaras and 5 Vikrata Swaras) and they should necessarily be placed in an ascending order. The 10 thaats are: Bilawal, Khamaj, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi, Bhairav, Kalyan, Marwa, Poorvi and Todi. Thaat has no emotional quality unlike raga and it is not sung. The ragas produced from the thaat are sung.
Indian Music - RASA
The reason behind the creation of ragas was to evoke emotional responses in the performer and the audience. These emotions, which are evoked through the singing and playing of instruments, are called Rasas. The rasas have also been called the ‘aesthetic delight’ as they are consciously made to feel an emotion through someone else’s art, even though they are free from the limitations of personal feelings. Initially, there were eight rasas, but later another rasa called the ‘shanta’ rasa was added to make nine rasas or ‘Nauras’. These are:
Type of Rasa Mood it Evokes
Shringara Love
Haasya Humour/Laughter
Karuna Pathos
Roudra Anger
Bhayanak Horror
Veer Bravery
Adbhuta Wonder
Bibhatsa Disgust
Shant Peaceful or calm
However, after the 15th century, Bhakti or the rasa of devotion to God became widely accepted into the initial corpus of the nine rasas.
Some musicologists argue that Bhakti and Shant rasa were one and the same. Another intervention into what moods are evoked by different notes has been made in the Natyasastra. Bharata argues that different moods evoked by the notes are: Madhyam evokes humorous instincts; Pancham will evoke erotic feelings; Shadja notes would evoke heroic feelings and last the wrathful instincts are evoked by Rishabh notes.
Indian Music and Culture - TALA
The rhythmic groupings of beats are called Tala. These rhythmical cycles range from three to 108 beats. According to the concept of tala, the musical time is divided into simple and complicated metres.
This theory of time measurement is not similar in Hindustani and Carnatic music. The unique point about the concept of tala is that it is independent of the music that accompanies it and has its own divisions. The tempo of the tala, which keeps the uniformity of the time span, is called the laya.
Several musicologists have argued that there are more than hundred talas, but only thirty talas are currently known and even within that only 10 to 12 talas are actually used. Different kinds of recognized and used talas are dadra, kaharba, rupak, ektal, jhaptal, Teental and Ada chautal. Amongst these, music composers usually use teen-tal that uses sixteen beats.
Unlike the Hindustani music, the Carnatic music has a much more rigid structure. The Tala (thala) are made of three components: laghu, dhrutam and anu dhrutam. There are original 35 thalas and each one of them can be further split into 5 ‘ghaatis’. Hence, there are 175 (35*5) thalas in Carnatic music.
Different type of RAGAS - Shuddha, Chhayalag, Sankeerna
Shuddha Raga
This is the raga in which if any notes that are absent from the composition are played, its nature and form does not change.
Chhayalag Raag
This is the raga in which if any notes that are not present in the original composition are played, its nature and form changes.
Sankeerna Raag
This is the raga in which there is a combination of two or more ragas.
Hence, every raga should have the basic 5 notes. Amongst these ragas:
The ‘King’ is the principal note on which raga is built. This is called the ‘Vaadi’ and it is used most often in the composition.
The next important note is the ‘queen’ that corresponds as the fourth or fifth note in relation to the principal raga. This second most important note of the ‘raga’ is called ‘Samvaadi’.
All the other notes in the composition apart from the vaadi and samvaadi are called the Anuvaadi.
Lastly, the notes that are not present in the composition are called Vivadi.
Furthermore, the ascent of the notes means that each note is higher than the preceding note, for example, Sa re ga ma pa dha ni. This ascent is called the Aaroha. Similarly, the descent is called Avaroha, where each note is lower than the preceding notes. For example, ni, dha, pa, ma, ga, re, sa. Depending on the ascent and descent of the notes, the ragas can be divided into three speeds or Laya: vilambit (slow); Madhya (medium) and drut (fast).
ANATOMY OF INDIAN MUSIC - RAGA
The word ‘raga’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Ranj’, which literally means to delight or to make happy and satisfy a person. The ragas form the basis of the melody, while the tala becomes the basis of the rhythm. Each melodic structure of the raga has something similar to the distinct personality subject and the mood evoked by the sounds.
The basic element necessary for the working of a raga is the note on which they are based. According to the number of notes in the raga, there are three main jaatis or categories:
Audav/Odava Raga: is the ‘pentatonic’ raga, contains 5 notes
Shadava Raga: is the ‘hexatonic’ raga, contains 6 notes
Sampurna Raga: is a ‘heptatonic’ raga, contains 7 notes
A raga is neither a scale nor a mode but it is a scientific, precise, subtle and aesthetic melodic form with its own peculiar ascending and descending movement, which consists of either a full octave, or a series of 5 or 6 or 7 notes. There are three major types of Raga or Raga Bhed.
ANATOMY OF INDIAN MUSIC - Swara
In the ancient period, the term “Swara” was associated with the recitation of the Vedas. Over time, the term is used to define the ‘note’ or ‘scale degree’ in a composition. In the Natyasastra, Bharata has divided the swaras into twenty-two notes scale.
Currently, the notational system of the Hindustani music is defined by these abbreviated swaras – Sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni. The Seven Swaras together are called Saptak or Sargam. He listed each pitch using the following names:
The Swara differs from Shruti. A Shruti is the smallest gradation of pitch representing the quality of frequency. There are 22 Shrutis. or microtones out of which only 12 are audible. These 12 are seven Suddha Swaras and five Vikrita Swaras.
HISTORY OF INDIAN MUSIC
A lot of development in music stemmed from being played at devotional sites. This type of ritualistic music was displayed in the later Vedic period through a type of music called Sangama, which involved chanting of verses that were usually set to musical patterns.
Even the epics were set to the narrative type of music called the Jatigan.
The first work that clarified and elaborated on the subject of musicology was Bharata’s Natyashastra. It contains several important chapters on music, especially the ones that identified the octave and elaborated on its 22 keys. These 22 keys were recognised as shrutis or srutis. This distinction was made in Dathilam, a text that endorsed the existence of 22 srutis per octave and made the suggestion that maybe these were the only one that a human body could make. Sarangadeva, a 13th-century musicologist who wrote the classic text on music, the Sangeet Ratnakara, seconded this view.
The Sangeet Ratnakara defined about 264 ragas including some from the North Indian and the Dravidian repertoires. Its greatest contribution was to identify and describe the various ‘microtones’ and classify them into different categories. Later, some medieval texts on musicology focused on particular themes, for example, Brihaddeshi written in the 9th century by Matanga focused on the definition of the word ‘raga’.
Similarly, the 11th-century text, Sangeeta Makaranda was composed by Nanda who enumerated 93 ragas and classified them into feminine and masculine forms. Other important texts of this period were Swaramela-Kalanidhi written by Ramamatya in the 16th century which again deals primarily with ragas.
Chaturdandi-prakasika written by Venkatamakhin in the 17th century is also famous for the important information on musicology. During the ancient and early medieval period, we find evidence of the existence of Gurukuls where students lived with the teacher in order to become a master in the art of music.
The change in the tenor of music came with the effect of the Persian elements. This influx of Islamic and Persian elements changed the face of North Indian music, for example, the Dhruvapad or the devotional style of singing patronised by the rulers transformed into the Dhrupad style by the 15th century. By the 17th century, a new form of Hindustani music had evolved which was called the Khayal style. Furthermore, more and more styles of ‘folk’ singing emerged in this period.
The Brahmo Movement
This began with Raja Rammohan Roy who wanted to question the problems in Hinduism. To solve these issues and to find the truth of Vedanta, he started the Brahmo Samaj in 1828. It rejected iconography or the worship of any kind of imagery. It spoke against the evil practices of Sati, which was abolished later after sustained campaigning. He also established two schools to bring education to the masses.
After his death, the mission was taken over by Devendranath Tagore in 1843. He was a fierce writer who criticised the British and Christian missionaries who were converting poor people. He also urged Hinduism to bring large scale changes so that people would not leave their religion and convert.
Another member Keshabchandra Sen started advocating against child marriage, polygamy and caste system. He and some of his followers were very radical and broke from the Brahmo Samaj to form the ‘Bharatiya Brahmo Samaj’. This movement could not sustain itself and led to another break into ‘Sadharan Brahmo Samaj’. After all these splits they could not sustain the movement.
BHIMBETKA ROCK PAINTINGS
It is located south of Bhopal in Vidhyan ranges of Madhya Pradesh.
The rock shelters have more than 500 rock paintings. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
The oldest paintings are estimated to be 30,000 years old and have survived due to its location deep inside the caves.
There is marked continuity in occupancy of the caves from 100,000 BC to 1000 AD with many paintings being painted on top of another.
The paintings at Bhimbetka belong to Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Chalcolithic, early historic and medieval period. However, most of the paintings belong to the Mesolithic age.
The paintings generally portray every-day life of pre-historic men often in stick-like human figures. Various animals like elephant, bison, deer, peacock and snake are depicted. The paintings also show hunting scenes and war scenes with men carrying weapons like bows, arrows, spears, shields and swords. Some paintings also have simple geometric designs and symbols. The other themes of the paintings are dancing, playing music, animal fighting, honey collection, etc.
Social life is well-depicted with presence of children playing, women making food, community dancing, etc. Various colours like red ochre, purple, brown, white, yellow and green are used. Colours were obtained from natural resources, for example, Haematite ores were used for red colour.
FAMOUS UNIVERSITIES OF ANCIENT INDIA
Odantapuri: It is located in Bihar and was made under the patronage of Pala dynasty KiNg Gopala I. It was a Buddhist mahavihara. It was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji.
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| Odantapuri |
Vikramshila: It is located in present-day Bhagalpur district of Bihar. It was established by King Dharampala of Pala dynasty, primarily as a Buddhist learning centre. The scholars were invited by kings outside India to spread Buddhist teachings. The Vajrayana sect flourished here and Tantric teachings were taught. It was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji.
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| Vikramshila |
Other subjects like logic, Vedas, astronomy, urban development, law, grammar, philosophy, etc were also taught.
Jaggadala: A centre of learning for the Vajrayana sect of Buddhism, in Bengal. Many scholars took shelter here after Nalanda and Vikramshila declined. It was probably established by King Ramapala of Pala dynasty. Śakyaśrībhadra, a Kashmiri scholar who was the last abbot of Nalanda Mahavihara and instrumental in transmitting Buddhism to Tibet, is said to have fled to Tibet in 1204 from Jagaddala when Muslim incursions seemed imminent. Historian Sukumar Dutt tentatively placed the final destruction of Jagaddala to 1207; in any case, it seems to have been the last mahavihara to be overrun.
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| Jaggadala |
Valabhi: It was situated in Saurashtra, Gujarat. It was an important centre of learning for the Hinayana Buddhism. Various disciplines like administration and statecraft, laws, philosophy etc were taught here. It was visited by the Chinese scholar, Hseun Tsang. It was supported by the grants of rulers of Maitraka Dynasty of Gujarat. In 775 CE, the patron kings succumbed to an attack by the Arabs.
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| Valabhi |
Nalanda: The most renowned university of South Asia. It is not clear as to who established it; it was in existence during Gupta period. It gained prominence under Harshavardhana’s reign and Pala kings. All three Buddhist doctrines were taught here, however, it was a major site for Mahayana Buddhist teachings. It was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji.
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| Nalanda |
Subjects like Vedas, fine arts, grammar, philosophy, logic, medicine, etc were also taught here. It had eight separate compounds and even had dormitories for students. It attracted scholars from Central Asia, South-East Asia and other parts of the world. The teachings in the university deeply influenced Tibetan Buddhism. Famous scholars of Nalanda are Nagarjuna (Madhyamika Shunyavad) and Aryabhatta the astronomer.
Hsuan Tsang spent two years at the university. Another Chinese scholar I-Tsing, spent ten years at Nalanda in late 7th century.
Takshashila: It was located in modern-day Pakistan. It is estimated to exist around 5th century BC. It is believed that Chanakya composed the Arthashastra at this place. Both Buddhist and Hindu theologies were taught here. Subjects like Political Science, Hunting, medicine, law, military tactics were taught here. Noted teachers and students from Takshashila include Chanakya, Charaka, Panini, Jivaka, Prasenajit, etc. Destruction of Taxila is unclear as studies have shown not clear verified. It is said nomadic Huns did that.
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| Takshila |
Kancheepuram: It was a centre of learning for Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism from 1st century AD and achieved great name under the rule of Pallavas. Since 1865, it came under colonial rule.
Manyakheta: now called Malkhed (Karnataka). It rose to prominence under the Rashtrakuta rule. Scholars of Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism studied here. It has a ‘matha’ of Dvaita school of thought.
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| Malkhed fort |
Pushpagiri Vihara and Lalitagiri (Odisha): It was established by Kalinga kings around 3rd century AD near the Udayagiri hills. It was mainly a Buddhist learning centre.
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| Lalitagiri Odisha |
Sharada Peeth: It is located in present-day Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It was an important place for the Sanskrit scholars and many important texts were written here. It also has a Sharda Devi temple. It is believed by Kashmiri Pandits to be the abode of Shiva
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| Sharada Peeth |
Nagarjunakonda: It is situated 160 km from Amaravathi in Andhra Pradesh and it was a major Buddhist centre with scholars from Sri Lanka, China, etc coming for higher-education. It had many Viharas, Stupas, etc. It was named after Nagarjuna, a south Indian scholar of Mahayana Buddhism.
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| Nagarjunakonda |
this image is for you which will tell you how bigger thoughts were off people who made it.
Built by King Dharma Pāla Deva (770-800 AD), second king of the Pāla Dynasty, in the late 8th century AD, the monastery follows a layout perfectly adapted to its religious function.
The vast monastery at Paharpur was only possible because of the support of the wealthy Pala Dynasty that for 400 years ruled Bengal
Dravidian Style of Temple Architecture
Under the patronage of the Chola rulers, hundreds of temples were built in South India. It was a continuation of the previous Pallava architecture, with some variations. This is what came to be known as the Dravidian style of temple architecture. The features of the Dravidian style or Chola style are:
Unlike the Nagara temples, the Dravidian temples were surrounded by high boundary walls.
The front wall had a high entrance gateway known as the gopuram.
The temple premise was laid out in the panchayatan style with a principal temple and four subsidiary shrines.
In the Dravidian style, the spire is in the form of a stepped pyramid that rises up linearly rather than curved. It is known as vimana.
The crowning element is shaped in the form of an octagon and is known as shikhara. It is similar to the kalash of the Nagara temple, but not spherical.
There is only one vimana in the Dravidian architecture on top of the main temple. The subsidiary shrines do not have vimanas, unlike in Nagara architecture.
The assembly hall was connected with the garbhagriha by a vestibular tunnel known as antarala.
The entrance of the garbhagriha had sculptures of Dwaarpal, mithun and yakshas.
The presence of a water tank inside the temple enclosure was a unique feature of the Dravidian style.
Example:Brihadeswara temple at Tanjore (built by Raja Raja I in 1011 A.D.), Gangaikondacholapuram temple (built by Rajendra I to commemorate his victory in the Gangetic delta), etc.
Chola Sculpture
An important feature of the Chola temples was the importance placed on the decoration through sculptures. An important piece of Chola sculpture was the sculpture of Nataraja in the Tandava dance posture. Though the earliest known Nataraja sculpture, which has been excavated at Ravana phadi cave at Aihole, was made during the early Chalukya rule, the sculpture reached its peak under the Cholas.
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