Ramman (festival)

Last updated

Ramman performance Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India.jpg
Ramman performance

Ramman is a religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal region in India. It is a festival of the Garhwali People celebrated in many villages of the region. Although there are many Rammans, such as the Jak Ramman, one of the most popular is the masked Ramman of the Saloor Dungra village of the Painkhanda Valley in the Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, India. [1]

Contents

The masked Ramman is unique to the Saloor-Dungra village and is neither replicated nor performed anywhere else in the Himalayan region. The festival and the eponymous art form are conducted as an offering to the village deity, Bhumiyal Devta, in the courtyard of the village temple. [2] [3]

Deity

The guardian deity of Saloor Dungra is Bhumichetrapal, also known as Bhumiyal Devta. The festival is held in her honour every year after Baisakhi, a harvest festival that also marks the beginning of the Hindu Solar New Year. On the day of Baisakhi, the village priest announces the date for the Ramman festival which falls on the ninth or the eleventh day after Baisakhi. [4] The Bhumiyal Devta comes out in a procession to the temple on the day of Baisakhi. The second day, people offer hariyali (sprouted barley plants), to the deity who, in turn, promises prosperity to all, including agricultural yield and forest produce. Every day of the festival, the Devta takes a round of the village. The festival lasts for ten days during which time the local epic of Rama is sung and masked dances depicting different aspects of life take place in the courtyard of the Bhumiyal Devta's temple [5] It is said that the Ramman festival is celebrated here from a very old time for about 500 years, as well as the festival is celebrated jointly by the local panchayat for 11 to 13 days. Raman Festival Is organized here too, but It is said that this festival of Sallud and Dungra is more famous [6]

Festivities and dances

The Ramman begins with an invocation to Ganesha, the remover of obstacles followed by the dance of Ganesha and Parvati. This is followed by the dance of the Sun God, an enactment of the creation-myth of the birth of Brahma and Ganesha. The other dances include the dance of the Bur Deva along with Gopi Chand (Krishna) and Radhika, the Mwar-Mwarin dance that showcases the travails of the buffalo herders and the Baniya-Baniyain Nritya (dance of the trader-couple) that shows the hardships faced by the common people. [7] After these initial performances, the focus now shifts to the enactment of the local Ramkatha. Episodes from Rama's life, beginning with his visit to Janakpur and culminating with his coronation following his return from exile, are sung to a total of 324 beats and steps. Another important aspect of these performances is the singing of Jagar, a musical rendition of local legends. [7]

There are also other dances and episodes like the Maal Nritya, Koorjogi and Narsingh Pattar Nritya that follow the Ramkatha. In the Maal Nritya, a historical battle between the Gurkhas of Nepal and the local Garhwalis is comically enacted by a troupe of four dancers dressed in red and white. It is mandatory to have a red Maal from the Kunwar caste of Saloor village, as it is believed that this hamlet supported the Gorkhas while the other three are selected by the panches of the Gram Panchayat. [7]

In the Koorjogi ceremony, weeds (koor) from the village fields are pulled out by a Koorjogi, a character who carries a sack full of these weeds. There is much merriment as people throw these weeds at each other in a spirit of a communal sport. [7]

Community participation

The villagers of Saloor-Dungra are the inheritors, organizers and financers of the Ramman festival. All households, irrespective of caste and community, offer prayers and perform rituals to the main deities of the Ramman. The roles of the various castes in the festival are however well established. Talented youth and elders selected by village heads are the performers at Ramman. The Brahmin priests conduct the rituals and prepare and serve prasada to the deity. Baaris are charged with the organization and collection of funds while the Dhaaris are a group that assists the baaris in organizing the event. The baaris and dhaaris are assigned their duties by the Gram panchas. It is also these panchas who select the residence of the Bhumiyal Devta till the next Ramman festival. The family where Bhumiyal Devta resides for the year has to maintain a strict daily routine and a place in the house is demarcated and consecrated for the deity. The Jagar is sung by the Jagaris or Bhallas of the Rajput caste who are professional bards. The playing of drums is central to the festivities and this is done by drummers of the Das community, the lowest caste, whose status is elevated during the performance. [7]

The festival ends with a feast where the prasada of the deity is distributed as a sacrament.

Threatened and unique tradition

Ramman combines the sacred and the social, the ritualistic with revelry and expresses the history, faith, lifestyle, fears and hopes of the Saloor Dungra villagers through a mesh of oral, literary, visual, kinetic and traditional craft forms. It is an annual affair that children learn by watching. The various skills it involves in terms of dance, singing and drumming are passed down across hereditary communities orally. The onslaught of globalization and technology and lack of financial or artistic compensation have adversely impacted the ritual and traditional performances of the Ramman. Being peripheral to mainstream art forms, the awareness of the Ramman beyond its immediate borders is small and it stands the risk of becoming extinct in time. [8]

People wearing the masks of deities and other characters, carved out of the stem of Bhoj tree (Betula Utilis) was performed by the villagers. It was introduced to the world by IGNCA (Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts), Delhi in 2008. [9] After that festival, gained a lot of popularity among people.

In 2009, UNESCO inscribed Ramman on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. [10]

Ramman Mahotsav was an important attraction in the 67th Republic Day parade of India and celebrations on 26 January 2016. In these exhibits, the cultural richness and diversity of Ramman Mahotsav was added and the traditions and heritage of the Uttarakhand region was displayed. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Uttarakhand</span> Overview of music traditions in Uttarakhand, India

The folk music of Uttarakhand refers to the traditional and contemporary songs of Kumaon and Garhwal regions in the foothills of Himalayas. This music has its root in nature and the hilly terrain of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uttarakhand</span> State in northern India

Uttarakhand, formerly known as Uttaranchal, is a state in northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the northwest, Tibet to the north, Nepal to the east, Uttar Pradesh to the south and southeast, with a small part touching Haryana in the west. Uttarakhand has a total area of 53,483 km2 (20,650 sq mi), equal to 1.6% of the total area of India. Dehradun serves as the state capital, with Nainital being the judicial capital. The state is divided into two divisions, Garhwal and Kumaon, with a total of 13 districts. The forest cover in the state is 45.4% of the state's geographical area. The cultivable area is 16% of the total geographical area. The two major rivers of the state, the Ganges and its tributary Yamuna, originate from the Gangotri and Yamunotri glaciers respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamoli district</span> District of Uttarakhand in India

Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by the Tibet region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar to the east, Almora to the south, Pauri Garhwal to the southwest, Rudraprayag to the west, and Uttarkashi to the northwest. The administrative headquarters of Chamoli district is in Gopeshwar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garhwali language</span> Central Pahari language spoken in India

Garhwali is an Indo-Aryan language of the Central Pahari subgroup. It is primarily spoken by over 2.5 million Garhwali people in the Garhwal region of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauri Garhwal district</span> District in Uttarakhand, India

Pauri Garhwal is a district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Its headquarters is in the town of Pauri. It is sometimes referred to simply as Garhwal district, though it should not be confused with the larger Garhwal region of which it is only a part of.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berinag</span> Hill Station in Uttarakhand, India

Berinag is a hill station, located 124 km from Pithoragarh city in the Pithoragarh district, which is the easternmost Himalayan district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is one of the six Administrative Subdivisions (tehsil) of Pithoragarh district. National Highway 309A passes through Berinag. Closest prominent villages include Garawon, Dhanoli, Bana, Bhattigaon, Bangali , Quarali, Tripuradevi and Sangarh.

Jaunsar-Bawar is a hilly region in Garhwal division of Uttarakhand, northern India. It is located in the north-west of Dehradun district, along the border with the state of Himachal Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golu Devata</span> Deity of Uttarakhandi people of India

Golu Devata is a deity of the Kumaoni community of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garhwali people</span> Indian ethno-linguistic group in the Garhwal region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand

The Garhwali people are an Indian ethnolinguistic group native to the Garhwal, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, who speak Garhwali, an Indo-Aryan language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumaoni people</span> Ethnolinguistic group of India and Nepal

Kumaonis, also known as Kumaiye and Kumain, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who speak Kumaoni as their first-language and live mostly in Kumaon division in the state of Uttarakhand in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahasu Devta Temple</span> Hindu Temple in Uttarakhand

Mahasu Devta Temple, is located on the Tyuni-Mori road at Hanol, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, India and was built in the 9th century. The temple is dedicated to Mahasu Devta. The temple was constructed in the Kath-Kuni or Koti-Banal style of architecture and is included in the Archaeological Survey of India's list of the ancient temple in the Dehradun circle, Uttarakhand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists</span>

UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance. This list is published by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the members of which are elected by State Parties meeting in a General Assembly. Through a compendium of the different oral and intangible treasures of humankind worldwide, the programme aims to draw attention to the importance of safeguarding intangible heritage, which UNESCO has identified as an essential component and as a repository of cultural diversity and of creative expression.

Jagar is a Hindu form of Shamanism which is practiced in the hills of Uttarakhand, both in Garhwal and Kumaon. As a ritual, Jagar is a way in which gods and local deities are woken from their dormant stage and asked for favors or remedies. The ritual is connected to the idea of divine justice and is practiced to seek penance for a crime or to seek justice from the gods for some injustice. The word Jagar comes from the Sanskrit root, Jaga, meaning "to wake".

<i>Hahoe byeolsingut talnori</i> Korean masked dance-drama

Hahoe byeolsingut talnori or "Hahoe special ritual drama to the gods" is a Korean masked dance-drama performed every three, five, or ten years at the request of the village deity in Hahoe, Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. The village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the dance-drama an Important Intangible Cultural Property, and a collection of thirteen (13) masks are a National Treasure. The ritual shares some of the major themes of Korean masked drama and Korean shamanism, namely satire and the ridicule of apostate Buddhist priests and the nobility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binsar Mahadev</span> Hindu temple in India

Bindeshwar Mahadev Temple, also known as Binsar Devta or simply Binsar, is an ancient Hindu rock temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, worshipped as Bindeshwar, a popular deity in this region. At an altitude of 2480 meters above mean sea level, it is situated in Bisaona village, which falls in the Chauthan region of Thalisain Block in the Pauri Garhwal District of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. This temple is set amidst dense forests of birch, deodar and rhododendron. The original temple structure held great archaeological significance, but it was demolished by politicians in order to create a new structure. The central chamber of the temple features the idols of Ganesha, Shiva-Parvati and Mahishasuramardini. A fair is organized there on Vaikuntha Chaturdashi every year.

Chander Singh Rahi was a prominent folk singer, balladeer, musician, poet, storyteller, and cultural conservator from Uttarakhand, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance in Nepal</span> Aspect of Nepalese culture

Dance is a performing art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement. Dance (Nepali: नृत्य/ नाच) in Nepal comprises numerous styles of dances, including folk, ethnic, classical to modern dances. Lakhey is the dance of a demon in the carnival of God. Durbar Square, a historic plaza in Kathmandu, Nepal, facing ancient palaces and adorned by Hindu temples, is always full of eager crowds on the last day of Indra Jatra, the festival celebrating Indra, the Hindu king of heaven. In this divine stage, Lakhe the demon dances among gods and deities relentlessly and carelessly.

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.

<i>Dhol Sagar</i> Ancient Indian treatise on the art of playing the dhol and damau

Dhol Sagar is an ancient Indian treatise on the art of playing the dhol damau, the folk instruments of the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. It does not exist in a complete printed form, as it was transmitted orally or empirically within the traditional drumming families. It is believed to have mythical origins and its existence has only been confirmed by local scholars and practitioners.

Pandav Lila or Pandav Nritya is a ritual re-enactment of stories from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, through singing, dancing and recitation, that is practised in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. Pandavas are the five protagonists in the epic and the village amateurs take on their roles and perform the lila outdoors, accompanied by the folk instruments dhol, damau and two long trumpets called bhankore. The performances, which can last anywhere from three days to a month in different villages, draw large crowds and are an important cultural highlight of the year. The ritualistic drama features actors who often spontaneously become "possessed" by the spirits of their characters and begin to dance.

References

  1. ↑ Prateek (March 2024). "Many Rammans in Uttarakhand: Jak and Bhumyal Renditions". Theatre Journal. 76 (1): E-1. doi:10.1353/tj.2024.a929507 . Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  2. ↑ Tribune, Bombay (14 February 2022). "Ramman Dance : An endangered cultural heritage of India". Bombay Tribune. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  3. ↑ "Ramman: Religious Festival and Ritual Theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas". INDIAN CULTURE. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "UNESCO - Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India". Ich.unesco.org. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  5. ↑ "Ramman: Religious Festival and Ritual Theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas" (PDF).
  6. 1 2 Rawat, Geeta (22 July 2024). "Unveiling the Ramman Festival: A Cultural Treasure of Uttarakhand". samagrashikshanews.online/.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Nomination No. 00281 for inscription on the Representative List in 2009. UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage , Abu Dhabi 2009.
  8. ↑ "Parampara Project | Ramman". Paramparaproject.org. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Rawat, GEETA (22 July 2024). "Unveiling the Ramman Festival: A Cultural Treasure of Uttarakhand". samagrashikshanews.online/.
  10. ↑ Srivathsan, A. (1 October 2009). "Garhwal ritual theatre in UNESCO's intangible heritage list". Thehindu.com. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.