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Chhau Dance
''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. The dance ranges from celebrating martial arts, acrobatics and athletics performed in festive themes of a folk dance, to a structured dance with religious themes found in Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism. The costumes vary between the styles, with Purulia and Serakeilla using masks to identify the character. The stories enacted by Chhau dancers include those from the Hindu epics the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata'', the Puranas and other Indian literature. The dance is traditionally an all males troupe, regionally celebrated particularly during spring every year, and may be a syncretic dance form that emerged from a fusion of classical Hindu dances and the traditions of ancie ...
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Indian Classical Dance
Indian classical dance, or ''Shastriya Nritya'', is an umbrella term for different regionally-specific Indian classical dance traditions, rooted in predominantly Hindu musical theatre performance,, Quote: All of the dances considered to be part of the Indian classical canon (Bharata Natyam, Chhau, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam, Odissi, Sattriya, and Yakshagana) trace their roots to religious practices (...) the Indian diaspora has led to the translocation of Hindu dances to Europe, North America and the world." the theory and practice of which can be traced to the Sanskrit text ''Natya Shastra''. The number of Indian classical dance styles ranges from six to eight to twelve, or more, depending on the source and scholar; the main organisation for Indian arts preservation, the Sangeet Natak Academy recognizes eight: ''Bharatanatyam'', ''Kathak'', '' Kuchipudi'', '' Odissi'', '' Kathakali'', '' Sattriya'', '' Manipuri'' and '' Mohiniyattam''. Additionally, the ...
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Sanskrit Language
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion, diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age#South Asia, Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a lingua franca, link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions. As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting effect on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies. Sanskrit generally connotes several Indo-Aryan languages# ...
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Purulia District
Purulia district () is one of the twenty-three districts of West Bengal state in Eastern India. Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district. Some of the other important towns of Purulia district are Raghunathpur- Adra, Manbazar, Jhalda, Anara and Balarampur. History Pre history The territory of present Purulia district was a part of Banga, one of the 16 Mahajanapadas according to Jaina Bhagavati Sutra (c. fifth century CE) and was also a part of the country known as Vajra-bhumi in ancient period. Little is known about Purulia before the British East India Company acquired this territory by obtaining the grant of Diwani of the subahs of Bengal, Bihar, Odisha in 1765. Pre independence By Regulation XVIX of 1805, a Jungle Mahals district composed of 23 parganas and mahals including the present Purulia was formed. By Regulation XIII of 1833 the Jungle Mahals district was broken up and a new district called Manbhum was constituted with headquarters at Manbaz ...
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Seraikela Kharsawan District
Seraikela Kharsawan district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Seraikela town is the district headquarters of Saraikela Kharsawan district . The district is well known for Seraikela Chhau, one of the three distinctive styles of the chhau dance. This district was carved out from West Singhbhum district in 2001. The district was formed from the princely states of Seraikela and Kharaswan, after the independence of India. History Ruling dynasty Members of the erstwhile royal family of Seraikella, the Singh Deo family (patrons of the Chhau dance), divide their time between The Palace, Seraikella; a 300-year-old heritage palace and historical landmark and their residences in Odisha, West Bengal and abroad. The last ruler of the Seraikella princely state was Aditya Pratap Singh Deo (grandson of HH Maharaja Udit Narayan Singh Deo) and notables of the era include his sons Tikayet Sahib Nrupendra Narayan Singh Deo, Raja Rajendra Narayan Singh De ...
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Gajapati Empire
The Gajapati Empire was a Medieval India, medieval Hindu monarchy in the Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent, originally from the region of Odisha that reigned from c.1434 to 1541. It succeeded the Eastern Ganga dynasty, Eastern Gangas as the Gajapati (title), Gajapati monarchs and was founded by Kapilendra Deva of Suryavamsa lineage after the death of the last ruler of Eastern Ganga king Bhanu Deva IV. At its peak, it ruled parts of modern day West Bengal to Kondaveedu Fort, Kondaveedu (modern-day Andhra Pradesh). Gajapatis were great patrons of art, architecture and literature which during their time flourished and witnessed tremendous growth, they ruled over a vast stretch of land and had continuous rivalry with the Vijayanagara Empire. Their capital was Cuttack, Kataka. The Gajapati kings patronized Vaishnavism, Vaishnavite Hinduism and were ardent devotees of the Vishnu, God Vishnu. They also commissioned many temples dedicated to the Vishnu, God Vishnu. They estab ...
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Seraikela
Saraikela (also spelled Seraikella) is the district headquarters and a nagar panchayat in the Seraikela Sadar subdivision of the Seraikela Kharsawan district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It was formerly the capital of Saraikela State, a princely state. The town is a road junction, an agricultural trade centre and upcoming industrial centre. It is situated between Jamshedpur and Chaibasa. History Saraikela state The Saraikela state was founded in 1620 by Raja Bikram Singh (a fore-runner to the ruling family's current nomenclature of Singh Deo). Geography Location Saraikela is situated on the bank of Kharkai River in southern Jharkhand. It is well connected with Jamshedpur via land route. Area overview The area shown in the map has been described as “part of the southern fringe of the Chotanagpur plateau and is a hilly upland tract”. 75.7% of the population lives in the rural areas and 24.3% lives in the urban areas. Note: The map alongside presents some of the ...
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Ileana Citaristi Performing Mayurbhanj Chhau
Ileana is a feminine given name commonly used in Romanian and other Romance language-speaking countries such as Spain and Italy. Etymology and Meaning The name ''Ileana'' is derived from the Greek name ''Helénē'' (Ἑλένη), meaning "torch" or "light." It is the Romanian and some Romance language forms of the name Helen, historically popular due to the legendary figure Helen of Troy.Behind the Name. "Ileana." https://www.behindthename.com/name/ileana Usage ''Ileana'' is primarily used in Romania and Moldova, but variants and related names appear in Italy, Spain, and other Romance language countries.Room, Adrian. ''Dictionary of First Names''. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1992. Romanian Mythology In Romanian folklore, the name Ileana is associated with the character ''Ileana Cosânzeana'', a beautiful and heroic fairy princess often portrayed as the idealized woman or goddess of love and beauty. Ileana Cosânzeana appears in numerous Romanian fairy tales as a symbo ...
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Dhol
Dhol () can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in Indian subcontinent primarily includes northern areas such as the Jammu division, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Himachal, Punjab region, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Kashmir, Sindh, Assam Valley, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Konkan, Goa, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. A related instrument is the dholak or dholki. ''Dhols'' are amongst other events used in Indian wedding ceremony processions such as Baraat or ''Varyatra''. Someone who plays the dhol is known as ''dholi''. Etymology The word Dhol is derived from Sanskrit word ''ḍhola,'' a term for drum in Sanskrit language. Construction The dhol is a double-sided barrel drum played mostly as an accompanying instrument in regional music forms. In Qawwali music, the term ''dhol'' is used to describe ...
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Shehnai
The ''shehnai'' is a type of oboe from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end. It was one of the nine instruments found in the royal court. The shehnai is similar to South India's nadaswaram. Characteristics This tubular instrument gradually broadens towards the lower end. It usually has between six and nine holes. It employs one set of quadruple reeds, making it a quadruple reed woodwind. To master the instrument, the musician must employ various and intricate embouchure and fingering techniques. The shehnai has a range of two octaves, from the A below middle C to the A one line above the treble clef (A3 to A5 in scientific pitch notation). A shehnai is often but not always made with a body of wood or bamboo and a flared metal end. Origin of the shehnai The shehnai is thought to have been brought by the Mughal Empire as its use was most associated with the Mughal courts and it's sou ...
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Chhau Dance
''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. The dance ranges from celebrating martial arts, acrobatics and athletics performed in festive themes of a folk dance, to a structured dance with religious themes found in Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism. The costumes vary between the styles, with Purulia and Serakeilla using masks to identify the character. The stories enacted by Chhau dancers include those from the Hindu epics the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata'', the Puranas and other Indian literature. The dance is traditionally an all males troupe, regionally celebrated particularly during spring every year, and may be a syncretic dance form that emerged from a fusion of classical Hindu dances and the traditions of ancie ...
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Chaitra
Chaitra () is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Choitro. Chaitra or Chait is also the last month in the Nepali calendar (the Vikram Samvat), where it commences in mid-March. Chittirai is the first month in the Tamil calendar. In the Sindhi calendar, this month is referred to as Chet and is marked by the celebration of the Cheti Chand (birth of Jhulelal, an incarnation of Vishnu). In the Vaishnava calendar, Vishnu governs this month. In solar religious calendars, Chaitra begins with the Sun's entry into Aries. In the more traditional reckoning, the first month commences in March or April of the Gregorian calendar, depending upon whether the adhika masa (extra month for alignment of lunar or solar calendar) was observed in the year. The first day of Chaitra is marked as the , the Hindu lunar new year. N ...
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Durga With Lion - Mahisasuramardini - Chhau Dance - Royal Chhau Academy - Science City - Kolkata 2014-02-13 9127
Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity, and dharma, representing the power of good over evil. Durga is believed to unleash her divine wrath against the wicked for the liberation of the oppressed, and entails destruction to empower creation. Durga is seen as a motherly figure and often depicted as a beautiful woman, riding a lion or tiger, with many arms each carrying a weapon and often defeating demons. She is widely worshipped by the followers of the goddess-centric sect, Shaktism, and has importance in other denominations like Shaivism and Vaishnavism. The most important texts of Shaktism, Devi Mahatmya and Devi Bhagavata Purana, revere Devi (the Goddess) as the primordial creator of the universe and the Brahman (ultimate truth and reali ...
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