Sankirtana performance is a collection of art forms performed to mark important religious occasions and stages in Vaishnava's life.
Two translations indicate the word kirtana has two different meanings. The Sanskrit verb kirt, from which the word kirtana derives, means both "to praise" or "to glorify" and also "to tell" or "to call." Therefore, kirtana is used to praise or glorify God, while also telling or calling men to participate in the glorification of God. As indicated by the prefix sam, kirtana always takes place in a congregation of saintly people. Sankirtana implies that when kirtana is performed in the congregation, it is done in a perfect or complete way. The prefix sam also suggests that if a kirtana is done in a congregation, the glorification of God and the calling of man is complete.
Most Sankirtana practices are found in the temple where they tell a tale through song and dance about the lives and deeds of their Lord. Nata Pala is the main repertoire, and it is performed in temples all over the Manipur valley. In a typical Sankirtana performance, seated devotees sit around two drummers and perform narrating Krishna's life and deeds through song and dance incorporating elements of Manipur's pre-Vaishnavite tradition. The dignity and energy of the religious festival in Manipur are unparalleled; many audience members are moved to tears and often prostrate themselves before the performers.
Sankirtana is practiced in the Holi Pala celebrating the festival of colors or the Shayan performed in the winters. Less often in evidence today are the Manohar Sai Pala and Ariba Pala. The purpose of the festival is both to bring the Vaishnava community together during festive occasions throughout the year, and also to establish and reinforce relationships between individuals and the community through life-cycle ceremonies.
Throughout the home, Sankirtana is used as a prayer for all lifecycle ceremonies, such as ear piercing in childhood (both genders), donning of the sacred thread in adolescence, marriage, and rites of passage at death. As the visible manifestation of God, it pervades the lives of the Manipuri Vaishnav.
According to Sangeet Natak Akademi describes, Sankirtana encompasses an array of arts performed in the home and the street to mark religious events and stages in the lives of the Vaishnava people inhabiting the Manipur plains. However, Sankirtana of Manipur is a practice promoting an organic relationship with the people. The entire society is involved in safeguarding it, with the knowledge and skills handed down from mentor to disciple. Sankirtana respects the natural world by including rituals that acknowledge its presence.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sankirtana-ritual-singing-drumming-and-dancing-of-manipur-00843) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipuri_Sankirtana) (https://www.krishna.com/phenomenon-sankirtana) |Subject=dance, Music |Country=India |SDG=(11) Sustainable Cities and Communities }}