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The Indian state West Bengal has a rich cultural heritage. Due to the reign of many different rulers in the past, arts and crafts in West Bengal underwent many changes giving an artistic diversity today in the forms of traditional handicrafts, terracotta, painting and carving, dances and music.
The music of West Bengal includes multiple indigenous musical genres such as Baul, Bishnupuri Classical, Kirtan, Shyama Sangeet, Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti, Atulprasadi, Dwijendrageeti, Probhati Sangeet, Kantageeti, Ganasangeet, Adhunik Gaan, Bengali rock etc. West Bengal has a rich culture with the classical and folk songs.
The Bishnupur Gharana is the sole Classical ( Drupad ) gharana of Bengal. It originated in Bishnupur, Bankura with the court musicians of the Malla Kings. [1] The bauls are a mystic group of singers and musicals, immensely popular in the countryside. They perform using a khamak, ektara and dotara. Rabindra Sangeet, also known as Tagore songs, are songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore. [2] They have distinctive characteristics in the music of Bengal, popular in India and Bangladesh. [3] [4] Rabindra Sangeet has been an integral part of Bengal culture for over a century. [4] [5] Shyama Sangeet is a genre of Bengali devotional songs dedicated to the Hindu goddess Shyama or Kali which is a form of supreme universal mother-goddess Durga or parvati. It is also known as Shaktagiti or Durgastuti.
Kirtan is also a true song which describe the mythological epic.[ clarification needed ] Chaitanya Mahaprabhu starts the Hare Krishna movement from Nabadwip.
Other songs like Hapu song, Bhadu song, Gombhira, Tusu song, Bhatiyali song, Patua Sangeet, Bolan Song etc. are all Bengali folk songs.
Songs and dances are connected with each other. The rich cultural heritage and creative minds of the people of Bengal are best reflected in their traditional folk dances like the martial dance or the harvest dance. In modern West Bengal rural Bengal takes the lead in keeping the old customs and the associated song and dance. The folk dances of West Bengal deal with a variety of themes such as religion, prayers, festivals and rituals; others talk about society. [6]
Gaudiya Nritya (Bengali : গৌড়ীয় নৃত্য) or Gauriya Nritya, is a Bengali classical dance tradition. [7] [8] [9] It originates from Gauda, also known as Gaur, in Bengal. [10]
It has been reconstructed by Mahua Mukherjee. [9] [11] It is not recognised as an Indian classical dance by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, [11] but study of it is eligible for scholarships from the Ministry of Culture of India. [12] Scholarly reception of the reconstruction ranges from caution to scepticism. [13] [14] [15] [16]
As a cultural tradition there are many Bengali folk dances describing the mythological wars. These martial or war dances are Purulia Chhau dance, Raibenshe dance, Stick dance or Laghur Nritya, Ranapa Dance, Dhali and Paika Nritya, Kukri Nritya etc. [17]
The cultural folk dance is mostly related with seasons, sowing of seeds, rains, harvesting in West Bengal. It is celebrated with much ardor by village folks, especially the farming community. Gombhira dance of Malda district is associated with mythology. Tushu dance, Nabanna dance, Nnoila broto etc. are also related with farming. Some tribal dance like Santhali dance, Rabha dance, Mundari dance, Rajbanshi dance etc. performed to the accompaniment of a number of musical instrument and are quite elaborate in nature. [18]
Mask or Mukhosh of West Bengal, as it known and it has a mysterious history. Mostly it is used for the Mask Dance, a folk dance of West Bengal. The wearing of these masks is connected with early types of folklore and religion. There are various types of masks made of clay, wood, sponge wood or shola, pith, paper etc. Generally, half masks are made up of clay, pith and paper, and wooden masks are very rare. Some of the masks came from the Tribal[ clarification needed ] of West Bengal. Geographically, West Bengal comes well within this mask using culture zone. Masks in West Bengal are mostly used in folk dance. [19] [20] UNESCO selected The Rural Craft Hub of Bengal to showcase their artwork in Paris in 2015. [21]
Chhau dance is listed on UNESCO's world heritage list of dances. [22] The main difference between the Purulia chhau and Orisha chhau is in the use of the mask. Purulia chhau used the mask in dance, but Orisha does not have the mask thereby adding facial expression with body movement and gesture. [23] Purulia chhau dancers wear earthy and theatrical masks which represent the mythological characters.
Gambhira mask is a part of Gomira dance which originated in North and the South Dinajpur of West Bengal. The word Gomira is colloquial from Gram-Chandi, a female deity. The origin of this craft is no doubt very old and some of the craftsmen claim it is at least as old as the beginning of Kali Yuga . The Gomira dances are organized to propitiate the deity and to usher in the good forces and drive out the evil forces. [24] This mask is used in the war dance. It is also called Mukha Khel meaning the game of masks.
Ghurni region of Krishnanagar has been a notable center of clay art for a long time. Their clay masks of Durga and others are well known for their beauty and the masks follow a contemporary style. Kolkata Kumartuli is well known for clay masks. The masks are made in clay and then sun-dried and finally coloured and decorated with sponge wood or foil. Potters have been receiving attention for sculpting Bengali deities. Dokra is unique folk art of West Bengal. Metal casting dokra mask is created various contemporary sculptures with this art form. Gita Karmakar, a female artist from Bankura, has been awarded the President's award. Her works of Dokra art are equally popular in other countries. Durga face is a well known shola mask of Murshidabad. It's mainly used as a decorative ptece. For making this masks, shola is pulled from water and dried. Then it is cut with the knife according to the design. The most attractive fact, Murshidabad is recognize for the shola work. [25] [ unreliable source? ]
There are significant examples of fine arts in Bengal from earlier times such as terracotta art of Hindu temples. The roofing style of Bengali Hindu temple architecture is unique and closely related to the paddy roofed traditional building style of rural Bengal. [26] Roofing styles include the Jor-bangla Style, do-chala, char-chala, at-chala, deul, ek-ratna, pancharatna and navaratna. Bishnupur in West Bengal has a remarkable set of such temples which being built from the Malla dynasty are examples of this style. Most of these temples are covered on the outer surface with terracotta reliefs which contains plenty of secular materials making these important to reconstruct the social structure from these times.
The temple structures contain gabled roofs which are colloquially called the chala, For example, a gabled roof with an eight sided pyramid structured roof will be called "ath chala" or literally the eight faces of the roof. And frequently there is more than one tower in the temple building. These are built of laterite and brick bringing them at the mercy of severe weather conditions of southern Bengal. Dakshineswar Kali Temple is one example of the Bhanja style while the additional small temples of Shiva along the river bank are examples of southern Bengal roof style though in much smaller dimension.
Terracotta or clay craft has been the symbol of man's first attempt at craftsmanship, just as the potter's wheel was the first machine invented to use the power of motion for a productive purpose. However, its association with religious rituals has imbibed it with deeper significance. In West Bengal, terracotta traditions are found from the earliest times. They are symbols of fulfillment of aspirations of village folk. In order to cater to the commercial requirements of the modern global market, the village potter is often combining the traditional rural abstractions with refined urban tastes to show pieces of terracotta art. [27]
In Bankura, potters create terracotta horses and elephants. Over the centuries they have moved away from a realistic presentation to a representational presentation. Potter-artists of different regions focused on different parts of the animal body in such a manner that representation of the same became more important than representation of the entire body of the animal. [28]
Manasa chali is the idol of Goddess Manasa. It is a unique terracotta sculpture of Panchmura, West Bengal. Manasa chali has a small figure or a group of three figures in the middle, with rows of snake hoods fanning out in a half moon shape. [29]
Patachitra painting is a true cultural heritage of West Bengal. The patua community of West Bengal has an ancient history practicing the craft of patachitra. A quaint little village of Paschim Medinipur, Naya is home to around 250 patuas or chitrakars. Bengal patachitra has various aspects, like Chalchitra, Durga Pat, Medinipur Patachitra, kalighat Patachitra, mud wall painting etc. D. P. Ghosh mentioned different style of Bengal patachitra in the districts of West Bengal in his book Folk Art of Bengal. [30]
The patachitra of different districts of West Bengal are characterized by many peculiarities in colour and design. The patachitra of Manbhum, now known as Purulia can easily be distinguished by their preference for one particular shade of burnt sienna relieved by white and yellow patches and densely packed composition. The seated figures of Dasaratha and Chand Sadagar of Medinipur crowning the Ramayana and Kamale-Kamini scrolls are impressive and monumental. [30] In the scrolls of pot of Birbhum, Bankura and Burdwan preference for Indian red background usually found, the scrolls of Hooghly preferred a dark brown. The Hooghly and Manbhum 'pats' are peculiar and definitely modernistic with the abstract linear treatment. [31]
Chalchitra is a part of Bengal patachitra, It referred to the Debi Chal or Durga chala, the background of the Durga pratima or idol. [32] Patua, the artists of Chalchitra called it Pata Lekha, meaning "the writing of Patachitra". [33] 300–400 year old idols of Nabadwip Shakta Rash used Chalchitra as a part of Pratima. At one time, the use of Chalchitra had become faded, but now it has a great popularity. [34] Chalchitra artist of Nabadwip, Tapan Bhattacharya said- It's good to see a lost painting coming back around.
Durga pot or Durga sara is recognised as the worshiped patachitra. It is worshiped in the Hatsarandi Sutradhar society of Birbhum district on Durga puja time. This type of patachitra is also worshiped is Katwa. Durga Pot has a semi-circular patachitra where patachitra of Durga is in the middle position. Ram, Sita, Shib, Nandi-Vringi, Brahma, Vishnu, Shumbha-Nishumbha are painted on this kind of Chalchitra. Krishnanager Rajrajeshwari Durga is seen to be uniquely noticed. In the middle of the Chalchitra, there is Panchanan Shib and Parvati is beside him, on one side there is Dasha-mahabidya and the other side, there is Dashabatar. [35]
Clay art has an indigenous history in West Bengal. Ghurni of Nadia district is very popular for making the clay idols. West Bengal has an ancient heritage of dolls. Dolls have been customarily crafted by women from the potter communities. Dolls made of soft clay and fired-clay are available all over West Bengal. Each of these dolls are made differently. The terracotta dolls of Panchmura, hingul and tusu dolls of Bishnupur, jo dolls of Midnapore, kanthalia dolls of Murshidabad, sasthi dolls of Coonoor, manasha pots of Dakshindari and Shiva heads of Nabadwip are very famous.
Kantha Stitch is one of the most popular handicrafts of Santiniketan in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India. [36]
Dokra art is the most interesting and creative art of West Bengal. The Dokras are now dispersed over the western part of West Bengal in four districts namely Bankura, Purulia, Midnapore and Burdwan and are mainly concentrated in Bankura and partly in Purulia. The Dokra artisans of Bankura make various kinds of images and figurines of gods and goddesses, birds and animals, like Lakshmi, Lakshmi-Narayan, Shiva-Parvati flanked by Ganesh and Kartik, elephants, horses, owls, peacocks etc. [37]
Wooden art is a very old tradition of West Bengal. Wooden protima or idol is seen in Indian Museum. The art-making wooden dolls have been an age-old practice in West Bengal and Natungram is one of them. Natungram, a village of West Bengal makes wooden dolls like Gouranga, Krishna, Bor-Bou, Gour-Nitai, owl etc. [38] Gomira masks of North and South Dinajpur in West Bengal are also made of wood. [39] [40]
Bamboo crafts are a very old and indigenous tradition in West Bengal. Different shapes and patterns of baskets are made using local traditions and techniques. In West Bengal, a tray-like bamboo basket is traditional. Different types of baskets, hand-held fan, sieves etc. are also made and painted with auspicious symbols and are used in marriage and other ceremonies. [41]
Bankura district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of Medinipur division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. Bankura district is surrounded by Purba Bardhaman district and Paschim Bardhaman district in the north, Purulia district in the west, Jhargram district and Paschim Medinipur district in the south, and some part of Hooghly district in the east. Damodar River flows in the northern part of Bankura district and separates it with the major part of Burdwan district. The district head quarter is located in Bankura town.
The music of West Bengal includes multiple indigenous musical genres such as Baul, Ramprasadi, Bishnupuri Classical, Kirtan, Shyama Sangeet, Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti, Dwijendrageeti, Prabhat Samgiita, Agamani-Vijaya, Patua Sangeet, Gambhira, Bhatiali, Bhawaiya, Bengali Rock.
Chhau, also spelled Chhou, is a semi classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the Purulia Chhau of West Bengal, the Seraikella Chhau of Jharkhand and the Mayurbhanj Chhau of Odisha.
Bishnupur is a city and a municipality in Bankura district, West Bengal, India. It has terracotta temples built by the Malla rulers, historic Radha Krishna temples built during 1600–1800 CE and the Baluchari sarees. In 1997 the temples of Bishnupur were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site's Tentative list.
Gurusaday Dutt was a civil servant, folklorist, and writer. He was the founder of the Bratachari Movement in the 1930s.
Bankura horse is the terracotta horse, produced in Panchmura village in Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It has been praised for “its elegant stance and unique abstraction of basic values.” Originally used for village rituals, it now adorns drawing rooms around the world as symbols of Indian folk-art. It is the logo of All India Handicrafts.
Mallabhum was the kingdom ruled by the Malla kings of Bishnupur, primarily in the present Bankura district in Indian state of West Bengal.
Patachitra or Pattachitra is a general term for traditional, cloth-based scroll painting, based in the eastern Indian states of Odisha, West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh. Patachitra artform is known for its intricate details as well as mythological narratives and folktales inscribed in it. Pattachitra is one of the ancient artworks of Odisha, originally created for ritual use and as souvenirs for pilgrims to Puri, as well as other temples in Odisha. Patachitras are a component of an ancient Bengali narrative art, originally serving as a visual device during the performance of a song.
Culture of Bankura district refers to the culture of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Manbhumi Bengali or Western Bengali is the local Bengali dialect spoken in the district of Purulia and adjacent area of other districts of West Bengal and Jharkhand, previously Manbhum district in Bengal Presidency. It is one of the Bengali dialects, having some influences of neighbouring dialects of Hindi and Odia in it.
Patrasayer is a village in the Patrasayer CD block in the Bishnupur subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Mask or Mukhosh of West Bengal, as it is known for has a mysterious history. Mostly it uses for the Mask Dance, the folk dance of West Bengal. The wearing of these masks is connected with early types of folklore and religion. There are various type of masks made up of clay, wood, sponge wood or shola, pith, paper, metal etc. Generally, half of these masks are made up of clay, pith and paper and wooden masks are very rare. Some of these masks come from the Tribal of West Bengal. Geographically, West Bengal comes well within this mask using culture zone. Masks in West Bengal is mostly used in folk dance. UNESCO selected The Rural Craft Hub of Bengal to showcase their artwork in Paris in 2015.
Chalchitra is a part of Bengal Patachitra. It referred to the Debi Chal or Durga chala, the background of the Durga Pratima or idol. Originally, these were used to give a proper proportion to the structure. This tradition is very ancient and is still maintained.
The Chhau mask is a traditional cultural heritage of Purulia in the Indian state of West Bengal. The Chhau mask of Purulia is registered on the List of Geographical Indications. As the basic difference of Purulia Chhau the mask is unique and traditional.
Patua Sangeet or Poter Gan is a cultural tradition of Bengal Patachitra. It is performed by a Patua. It is famous in the village part of West Bengal like Birbhum, Jhargram, Bardhaman and Murshidabad as a folk song of West Bengal.
Manasa chali, or Manasa bari, is a type of idol of Debi Manasa made of Terracota in Panchmura, West Bengal, India. It typically features a small figure or a group of three figures in the middle with rows of snake hoods fanning out in a half moon shape. Chali or bari is Bengali for 'the shade of something'. Chali is referred to here as 'the shade of idol' or 'the besh of idol', like Chalchitra. These idols have two basic colors, reddish-yellow and black.
}} Charida is a village in the Baghmundi CD block in the Jhalda subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
The National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage. It aims to raise awareness about the various intangible cultural heritage elements from different states of India at national and international level and ensure their protection.
Swarna Chitrakar is a Patachitra artist from Pingla, a changemaker and a community leader.
Radh Bengal is a region in West Bengal also known as the Temple Town. This region consists of arrays of temples in varying sizes and devoted to different gods and goddess but the common thread unifying this group is that the temples are constructed in terracotta. The region consists of following districts Birbhum, Bankura, Burdwan, Purulia and parts of Murshidabad. The construction style originated in 16th century and lasted till the 19th century. This period is also referred as a golden age of temple in West Bengal. Reason for development of this construction technique was the rich red laterite soil of the region and lack of construction worthy stone. The skill of creating daily objects from like vessels, pottery, seal and toys evolved into a construction technique in the time of need. These temples are baked terracotta panels or bricks. This particular style spread outside the present day West Bengal as well, to Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam and Tripura.
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