Manipuri
Dance in its Ras Leela form and structure,has now been recognised
as a form of classical Indian dance. But the great Nata
Sankritana (old and new, Dhrumarel and all that) of which
the Ras Leela is an extension, is yet to receive a recognition
as a classical art. classical Manipuri dance is nevertheless
is identified with Ras Leela by such a National Institution
like Sangeet Natak Acadami as all its awards presented to
the Gurus of Nata Sankritana (Ishei, Cholom and Pung) fall
under the category of traditional performing arts which
are not classical.It is indeed a pity.The Manipuri scholars
have not been able, so far, to project these art form in
all its beauty and strength as a classical item or atleast
to convince other Indian scholars of its classical heritage.
It only proves that their knowledge of Manipuri dance still
on the fringe and does not penetrate the core of the real
Nata Sankritana as practished and believed on the cultural
soil of Manipur valley. Every Ras leela performed in Manipur
is invariably preceded by Nata Sankritana as the Ras Leelas
is born out of the imagination of Lord Krishna chaitanya
when he remembers Vrindaban Leela.
Dance
in Indian context is a multi-dimentional affair. It is not
movement pure and simple.Apart from its component of form
and content it approximates to the concept of Sangeet consisting
of Nartna, Geet and vidya.Music (vocal and instrument) along
with metrical cycle of talas constitutes and inseparable
component of dance movement.It is also represented by the
term Avhinaya having four components viz. Sattwika, Vachika,
Angika, and Aharya.Natya is another comprehensive term of
it as it evident in Bharat Muni's Natya shastra.The final
shape it takes is the culmination or joint product of the
above mentioned components.The asthetic destination is ofcourse
Rasa, having nine forms of sixtyfour varieties after the
vaishnava asthetics, being the variations of the same shringara
Ras called Ujjvala Rasa.A beautiful dance represents the
cordinated and integrated form of diverse vibrations projected
indipendently by body movements, vocal music instrumental
music.The harmonious blending in a particular cultural context
is called the beauty which led to joy what is more the dance
perfects itself in the mind of audience who must have been
prepared to recieve it. Mere rhythemic body movements does
not constitute the soul of dance. It is to be be perfected
by adequate Geet and Vidya.Movement is only a dimention
or the projection of beauty at human level and makes a appeal
to the audience at different levels of being.A perceptive
critics states that Bharatnatyam is carnatic music made
visible.The Manipuris can't concieve of a Lai-Haraoba without
the hunting pena music nor can they watch Ras Leela without
the music of flute, the vocalist and pung players.A beautiful
dance is drisya-kavya-poetry, made visible, a joint product
of various components blended hermoniosly.
The
kirtna singing from Bengal and also possibly from assam(oja-pali
singing), enter Manipur during the king kiyamba (1467-1508
A.D).Very little is known about the exact style of singing
in that period.But during the Great Manipuri king Garibaniwaj
(1709-1748) who adopted Ramanandi culture, and old school
of Kritna under the style of Bangladesh or Ariba Pala become
popular and is still preserved at the Govindaji temple and
some other centres of Manipur. Rajashree Bhagyachandra (1764-1789)
introduched a new style of Kritna known as Natya Sankritana
which found it supreme expression during the king of Chandrakriti
(1850-1886) when the 64 rasas of vaishnava aesthetic ofter
Rupa Goswami and others, were presented in 64th sessions
spreading over 32 days: a great cultural event in which
the king and his nobles were also participated.The Manipuris
musicians singing Kritana is called Nata-a term in sanskrit,
meaning the person who knows the four avhinays and different
types of natas, get himself merge in the rasa which is trying
to protray and who appear physically on the mandap: a dancer
with songs on the lips. As a matter of fact , Manipuri Nata
Sankritana represent an extention of Leela Kritana of Thakur
Narotama Das (16A.D) of Bengal, with application pure type
of alap, agar , talas etc. and with Goura chandrika singing
the glory of Chaityana by way of an invocation and through
his visions the entire Vrindhavan leela of Krishna and Gopies
would be enacted. Nata Sankritana is a collective prayer,
and meditation and a great sacrified, (mahayajna as the
Vaisnavas called it), lasting for about five hours at a
stretch with a lot rituals, movements, and rhymic patterns,
strictly after the vaishnavite faith, colour with old Manipuri
tradition. It is composite of vision of music, dance and
tala: a Sangeet in the true sense of the term. Being a way
of worship and prayer,each gesture and phase is significant,
symbolic and mystical. One is supposed to be inconstant
touch with the world of the Gods and the eternal Sakhis
of vrindavan.
The
beauty of Nata sankritana lies in the fact that it is new
is a new creation pattern on Vaishnavite philosophy and
aesthetic integrated with the traditional belief of the
land,tantric or other ways.It follows Naradaya gandarva
school in term of music and followes such text as sangeet
shura,sangeet damudor.It ca'nt escape,of couse, from the
pervasive impact of Natya Sastra of sage bharata(100 A.D).
Various classical tales are adopted and are hundred of ssamcharus,
talapravandas associated with the pung (Drum) gurus.vigour
alternative it softness and various tandava movement. Based
something on animals gaits and postury of manipuri thang
taa, great gurus of vocal and instrumental music (call ojas)
undern the patronage of great kings form 18th to 20th centuries
have left their legacy of scholarship,splendour and beauty
as part of great cultural haritage.The Manipuri vaishnava
worshipped both Krishna,Chaityna and Nityananda and also
Radha, Krishana, two in one (yugala Murti). Every sankritana
yojna should start, after the natya Sastra tradition, with
invocation to the dieties all arround to take there respective
seats.
This
is done with help of incense, light,sandle paste and beetle
leaves with units prepared on two plaintian leaves representing
the lord and Devi toward of attcks of evil spirit. Indras
flag worshipped follows (Called Jarjara puja) and the Adhivas
ends with the breaking of curd pot into peices( called dahi
mangal), followed by illumination representing invitation
to the female dieties like Shararwati and lakshmi. this
is done in grand manner in a two days sankritana style dhrumel
(Dhruba Melka) which includes 14 prayers on pung with appropriate
ragas and samcharas. This covered the preparatory (Purva
Ranga ) for the performers and the instrument (Kartalas
and pung). Both the arrangement internal and external (Antar-yavanika
and vahir yavanika) are made in the especially eracted enclosure
(Mandapa) with 8 pillers. Space is concicrated and transform
into Vrindavan and time has been made transcendental.
The
performence space is a mandala situated at the centre. At
South west of the mandapa seats the president of the function
( Mandap Mapu) representing Nitya nanada or madhavandra
puri( founder of puri sect). Both the vrindavan and the
navadwip tradition has been intrigated the host of entire
yajna sopposed to be radha being assisted by Bhagavati purnimashi(
called arangpham) who supervisor the whole leela. There
is a seat for the conchplayer (blowing with two conches)
indicating supreme happiness at various stages of the play.
At the entrance of the mandapa, their stands Gopeshwar (Shiva)
standing guard for the departed souls(in case of Shraddha
rites) pays on two pieces of bannana trunk, worshing symbolically
also feet of the artist of and the invities the lead singer
sopposed to have escorted the departed soul from there to
be handed over the president. The invitee( Atithi) is really
a deva(God) arriving to watch the vrindavan leela of Lord
Krishna and his Sakhis.Thedetails preliminaries is over
the sankritana began with Jayadhoni (South of victory) attest
at a specific bold of pung which started with ten,taa, taa,
tang symbolising Goura Nityai.This is known as Raja Athouba(
major raga of the drum consecuted to the making of the mental
image of the Gourachandra from bottom to top of front stages
of the bold sequence. Seat of Rhythmic pattern are introduced
for creating various stages of the image and one offering
to Krishna Chaityna passing to phases of progressive relation
(Pravhata,Swadhak and siddha deha).
All
the participant including audience ane now metamorphoshed
into Sakhis of Vrindavan at this stage of sidha. yhis represent
a fragment of the sahajiya cult of bengal intigrated into
vaishnavaite faith.At the instalation of spirit of the mental
image( prana-partistha) and consequence surrender are complete
with the pung samcharas and final kartic samcharas,invocation
to lord Gouranga start( called Goura-chandrika) and the
artists( called palas) being the raga of the vocal music
with taa,ree,taa,naa( correspoding to haa,ree,tee,naa of
classical Indian sangeet) in the cyclis order of Ghora,
dhirga and panchama and appropiate ragas along with poses
of meditation (dhyana murti) as introduced. At this stage,
the tala adopted is teen tala. Appropriate pandabali songs
(now increasingly Manipuri version) are presented.This is
followed by tala-duital called Rajme. The artistes first
move clockwise(representing Pilgrimage to nabadwip),where
meeting of instruments (Yantra milan) symbolising thye union
of Lord with his Sakhis take places. This is followed by
anti-clockwise movement(the normal improvement of the sankritan)
repesenting pilgrimage to vrindavan.
Exquisite
movement of the body with considerable grace and dignity
come up and the quickening bols of pung indicate the three
stage of visions viz.sankshipta,samkirna and sampurna through
differents stops (Ghatt),when the fast movements add ecstasic
finale-(a great Manipuri scholar compares it to the flapping
of the wings of Garuda bird carrying Lord Vishnu).Then comes
of the movement of rest called Tanchap ( a form of Ektala)
followed by graceful, complicated movements of the Dohara
in the tala menkup (another form of ektala) representing
increasing union. The Sakhis who have been searching for
flowers etc. would come back and join both Radha and Krishna.
This would be indicated by the renewed offering of incence,
light, sandal paste from Arangpham side by this time; the
departed spirit (who is still watching Sankirtana) is supposed
to have to have joined the sakhis of their collective prayer.
Thus entire happening at vrindavan as indicated by the songs
and cholom movements was conceived (Bhabi) by Lord Chaitanya.
The play is, of course, eternal. Now back to the real world
of Bhaktas in the final stage. The Vrindavan Leela is over.
The artistes would recites the names of 6 Goswamis of vrindavan
and prayers would srtike the bols representing both the
brothers (Jaya Bhai Chaitanya Nitai). The host and other
members of the family would lie prostrate at the Mandapa
with their faces on the dust of Vrindavan,feeling bless
for the day.
As
indicated earlier, Manipuri Sankritana admitss of various
styles of singing which progressively evolve into distinctive
patterns of presentation.Bangladesh pala (Ariba pala) is
believed to have been introduced by a Bengali Kirtan singer
who later adopted a Manipuri name. But it appears to have
more affinity with Assames Oja pali with a lot of Manipuri
folk tunes integrated into it. The first inspiration for
this school is Ramanadi cult (With phrases like Rama ramo
Govinda) ,eventhought it has been acepted as a prayer for
the Manipuri Vaishnavas. It is based on old Indian ragas,raginis
and talas. here the drum is a bit longer and the cymbals
are smaller,compared to those Nata Sankritana school. The
thematic content-Vrindavan Leela remains thesame. It still
survives.
On
the top of the Nata Kritana tradition lies the most stylished
and complicated Dhrumel Kirtana-both old and new. There
are 14 pung players in it and the entire sequences of the
usual Nata Sankirtana plus afew additions in movement and
rhythmic patterns shall be followed. The accent here is
on the complicated talas known as Samcharas numbering 14
and dedicated to 14 Gurus of Bengal Vaishnavism. The first
chaitanva Samchara to be executed by 13 drummers in movement
by turns.It touches the core Goudiya Vaishnavism as the
Gurus,Sadaks,mohantas are recollected. The movements of
Pala musicians in the mandali include supposed movements
on the head of the coiled serpent- Kundalini called paphal
representing the cosmic coil,the head biting tails.Thus
the Dhrumel based on astakal leelas of Govinda with the
Sakhis in Vrindavan (8 periods of 24 hours ) is a highly
stylised,ritualised pattern of Yajna which involve of lot
of traning,expense and patience. It is derived possibly
from Dhruba Melaka of Indian musical tradition and becomes
now a rare art form.It admits of 4 types viz: Maha Dhumel
( of Rajarshi Bhagyachandra ),Goura Dhumel (of King Nara
Singh ), Nitya Dhumel and Lairemma Dhumel ( of King Chandrakirti
).
It
has been appropriately said that Indian is religion, Manipur,even
now,is religion. And we discovered 3 layers of religious
traditions, overlapping and intermingling with one another:
the earliest animistic cult with the worship of spirits
and ancestors, and the vedic overtones,the purana tantric
tradition of the medieval period represented by Lai Haraoba
Festival and Martial Arts based on Mantra,Yantra,Kundalini
and all that) and lastly the vaishnavite layer from about
15 th century A.D. accomodating and assimilatingthe earlier
faiths in a spirit of creative synthesis. The tranformation
of the Bhagavata episode of Ras Leela in the cultural laboratory
of the Manipuri indicates a new birth of Bengal vaishnavism.
It is a new look, a great gift to Indian culture. Thus the
Manipuri dances often represents an interesting blend of
aesthetic and ethical components. Grace and softness alternate
with vigour and ecstacy-a strange integration of Tandava
(musculine) and Lasya (feminine) aspects of Indian dance,
but Indian with a difference, having its own aesthetic.
Courtesy:
Souvenir The Third Bhagyachandra National festival of Classical
Dance, 1995.
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