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Information Digest
Volume 2
January 2001

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Lalla-Ded Educational and Welfare Trust

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Lalla-Ded Educational Trust
Project Zaan
Information Digest - Vol. 2

Har-van

Music, Dance and Drama

Nilamata Purana reveals, the people of Kashmir were fond of music, dance and drama. They played, danced and sang to express their joys, to mitigate their pains, to please their gods and to appease their demons. Young girls were trained in fine art.

Dancing always goes hand in hand with music. On each and every festive occassion, religious or semi-religious, seasonal or agricultural, the chief item of celebration used to be dancing and singing.

Popularity of Music and dancing, in ancient times, is corroborated by Archaeology. A tile from Harwan, presumed to be of 4th century A.D. shows three musicians playing flute, cymbals and drum. Another tile represents a female musician playing drum, third one shows a female dancer.

In ancient times, the festival of sowing of seeds, was celebrated for about a month. Singing and dancing enlivened this noble period.

Music had been with people of Kashmir, both vocal and instrumental, as early as 200 B.C. receiving royal patronage. The mode of singing varied in three f.mp3s - simple recitation, singing in chorus, enchanting Vedic mantra.

Dancing girls were attached to temples. They would visit the king on his coronation day and take part in most of the festivals and ceremonies. Dances were perf.mp3ed to welcome the rich gift of grapes. Bilhan praises the high skill of ladies of Kashmir in dancing.

The words Preksha and Preksanaka mentioned in Nilamata Purana refer to theatrical perf.mp3ances. It is said there existed some dramatic clubs, which gave shows on demand. It is mentioned in ‘Early History and Culture of Kashmir’ by S.C.Ray that there were many theatre halls, provided with cushioned couches. Most of the functions referred to in ‘Nilamata Purana’ were perf.mp3ed either in the vicinity of bonfire outside the houses or in open fields. Bilhan extols the ladies of Kashmir for the excellent dramatic perf.mp3ance, which excelled the acting of heavenly damsels.

Dancers, Musicians and Actors were well respected in ancient times and they received honour and gifts on certain festivals. The festival held in the month of ‘Asadha’, had one of the ceremony to present gifts to artists. The ‘Bhadrapada’ festival was very significant and important to artists. On this day, the artists were given a bath, worshipped and then given gifts.
 

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