The Lap of Buddhism - Ratnagiri - Traveller's Paradise!

I am hereby redeeming a promise I had made to all my readers in one of my previous posts,i.e. to write in detail about each of the Buddhist places in the 'Diamond Triangle' of Odisha. So here goes the first exclusive write-up on the exquisitely beautiful Ratnagiri!

Being an esteemed part of 3rd International Buddhist Conference at Bhubaneswar has been a life-changing experience for me. The second day of Conference was a site-visit to the 'Diamond Triangle' of Odisha. Ratnagiri was the second destination in our Buddhist trail, after Lalitgiri.

Location: Ratnagiri is in Jajpur District, only about 100 km from Odisha's capital- the splendid Temple City of Bhubaneswar. You can reach at Biju Pattnaik International Airport or Bhubaneswar Railway Station, and head to Ratnagiri by extremely well-connected roads- can reach within 2 hours easily!

2nd Bus carrying Delegates of Buddhist Conference to Ratnagiri. Buses were parked about 1.5 km away from main site, as road is narrow for big buses. Later mini bus of OTDC took us to the exact site of Ratnagiri!

Literally meaning, 'Hill of Jewels' this site is lined with breathtakingly beautiful votive stupas and monasteries dating between 5th Century AD to 13th Century AD.

What is Indian Culture?

A lot is opposed as being ‘against Indian culture’. What is Indian culture? #IndianCulture

Indian culture is a wonderful amalgamation of different food, clothing, festivals, religions, languages, dances, music, theatre, puppetry, art, architecture and I can go on and on! Culture refers to both the tangible and intangible aspects of our over five-thousand-year-old civilization. 

Tangible- Food, clothing, arts, crafts, architecture etc. are tangible aspects.

Intangible- Habits, mannerisms, dances, literature, music, theatre, oral traditions handed down since centuries etc. 

In fact, sense of appreciation for our tangible aspects of culture, is also its intangible aspect!

INDIA- A CULTURAL POT-POURRI!

India with 29 states and 7 UTs is a large country. Every state is considered a mini-India being a melting pot of people from different regions, religions, castes and so on. The majority group in one region mostly influences others’ cultural practices. Largely, this cultural pot-pourri has thrived successfully through continuous adaptation and suppleness. 

Lokanritya and Lokabadya Utsav, Bhubaneswar

Rajya-Stariya Lokanritya and Lokabadya Utsav [State Level Folk Dances and Music Festival] was held on 25 and 26 February, 2015 at Bhanja Kala Mandap, Bhubaneswar. After organising the recently concluded and most wonderful events like the Luptapraya Loka Kala Utsav [Festival showcasing Dying Regional Arts] and the Sankirtan Mahotsav, kudos to Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy and Department of Culture, Govt. of Odisha for organising another brilliant festival showcasing Odisha's vibrant culture!

#Odisha Loka Nritya & Loka Badya Utsav will start soon @ BhanjaKalaMandap #Bhubaneswar.Com & join fast! #ttot #travel pic.twitter.com/zb65TMXEur
— Amrita Sabat (@rocking_amsa) February 25, 2015

 

About Lokanritya and Lokabadya Utsav:

Dhunkel- Rare Musical Instrument from Western Odisha, India

'Dhunkel' musical instrument is also known as 'Dhanakoila'. It makes a continuous beating sound, with accompanying vocals praising the Lord. Things used for making of Dhunkel are Dhanu (Bow) and Kula (domestic utensil to winnow grain made of bamboo), covered over an earthern pot and a Dhunkel stick is used to beat it to produce a unique beating sound. This instrument is used in eastern, western, Southern Odisha. Watch this rare musical instrument being played:

Bhalubansi- rare musical instrument from Western Odisha, India

Bhalubansi, is an ancient wind instrument (Susira Badya) from Western Odisha. It was one among many rare and dying musical instruments played at recently concluded Luptapraya Loka Kala Utsav [Festival showcasing Dying Regional Arts]. Not just Bhalubansi, but Brahmabeena and Dhunkel were also played as part of same performance.

2de 6:30 pm BhanjaKalaMandap #Bhubaneswar 3 rare #Odisha instrumnts 2 b played: bhalubansi,dhunkel,brahmabeena! #ttot pic.twitter.com/KNu9v6On9i
— Amrita Sabat (@rocking_amsa) February 19, 2015

About Luptapraya Loka Kala Utsav:

Suta Kandhei Nacha (String Puppet Dance) of Ganjam district, Odisha

Odisha has a rich tradition of puppetry. Various forms of puppetry such as Glove (Kandhei), Rod (Kathi Kandhei) , String (Suta Kandhei) and Shadow (Ravan Chhaya) puppetry are all found in different districts of Odisha.

Source: http://ccrtindia.gov.in/puppetforms.php

Now, as promised, I'm revealing the suspense I had talked about in my previous post- that photo was of a String Puppetry Show! Here goes another click from the same: