संस्कृति मंत्रालय
MINISTRY OF CULTURE |
इन्दिरा गांधी राष्ट्रीय कला केन्द्र
Regional Centre, Ranchi |
Ramman, the remarkable religious festival of the twin villages of Saloor–Dungra in the Painkhanda Valley of Garhwal, Uttarakhand, stands as one of India’s most profound expressions of ritual theatre and collective memory. Celebrated annually to honour the village deity Bhūmīchetrapāla, or Bhūmiyāl Devatā, the tradition is known through written records since 1911, yet its roots stretch far deeper, nurtured for well over a century by the local community. Coinciding with Baisākhī, the harvest festival and the beginning of the Hindu solar year, Ramman begins when the village priest announces its dates, falling on the ninth or eleventh day after Baisākhī. Over ten vibrant days, the courtyard of Bhūmiyāl Devatā’s temple transforms into a sacred stage where episodes from the Rāmāyaṇa are sung, masked dances unfold, and stories of creation, myth, livelihood and history come alive.
Beginning with the dance of the Sun-God, the performances depict Gaṇeśa, Kālinkī (Pārvatī), Nārada, Rāṇī Rādhikā, Gopīchanda and several other celestial figures. Temporal and social realities are portrayed through the Mwār–Mwārin dance of milk-sellers, the Baniyā–Baniyān episode of travelling traders, and the beautifully choreographed Rāmkathā performed on eighteen rhythmic beats, narrating scenes from Janakpur to Laṅkā-Dahana and Rāj-Tilak.
The festival’s historical dimension is captured through the comic Māl Nṛtya, which re-enacts the battle between the Gurkhas and the Garhwālīs, while the ecological wisdom of the community emerges in the Kurjogī episode, where harmful weeds are ritually removed. Elaborate natural make-up, locally carved wooden masks, powerful drumming by the Dās community, and the chanting of Jāgars by village bards enrich this immersive ritual experience. Beginning with the grand procession of Bhūmiyāl Devatā and ending with the Narasiṃha–Prahlāda performance and a community feast, Ramman becomes a “total theatre”, an extraordinary fusion of devotion, artistry, ecology, history and identity.It remains one of the rare traditions where folk and classical, indigenous and pan-Indian forms coexist, allowing the people of Garhwal to celebrate their cultural soul with enduring pride.
As a part of its Research & documentation projects for folk and tribal traditions of Ramayana, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) took up many safeguarding measures to revitalize this rich performative and symbolic tradition with active community participation. On the recommendation of IGNCA, the Government of India selected Ramman for nomination to the UNESCO’s representative list of ICH in 2009 and finally got the recognition at global arena.
The present curation displays fifteen selected traditional masks from the Ramman ritual theatre of Uttarakhand, drawn from the distinguished collection of IGNCA Archives. Each mask represents a unique character from the festival’s sacred and social narratives, offering a rare glimpse into the vibrant world of Saloor–Dungra. Hand-carved from local wood and finished with natural pigments and traditional techniques, these masks stand not only as artworks but as enduring vessels of community reminiscence and ritual significance.
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संस्कৃতি मंत्रालय
MINISTRY OF CULTURE |
इन्दिरा गांधी राष्ट्रीय कला केन्द्र
Regional Centre, Ranchi |
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The institution was established in 1987 at New Delhi, in the memory of former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi (1917-1984), with the purpose of preservation and promotion of Indian cultural heritage in its tangible and intangible forms. It is visualized as a centre encompassing the study and experience of all the arts – each form with its own veracity, yet within a dimension of mutual interdependence, interrelated with nature, social structure and cosmology. Five core divisions were born after keeping in my mind the main aim of the organisation- Kala Kosa, Kala Nidhi, Janapada Sampada, Kaladarshana and Sutradhara. Later, various sub units and specialized projects viz. Adi Drishya, Cultural Informatics Lab, Media Centre, Conservation unit to Nari Prakalp Samvad, Bharat Vidya Prayojana etc. were formed for carrying out the IGNCA mandates in a smooth and efficient manner.
In recent years IGNCA has emerged as an institution showcasing different dimensions of Indian art and culture through its useful programmes and reaching out to people in all nooks of the country through exhibitions, seminars, festivals, conferences, film shows, music concerts, book launches, opening of permanent galleries, and acquiring more collections. 10 Regional centres across the country, have been opened to help in promoting local cultures and traditions. Projects like National Cultural Audio-Visual Archives, Vedic Heritage Portal and National Mission for Cultural Mapping are instrumental in extending worldwide online access to Indian culture heritage. Starting of PG Diploma courses and Certificate courses relating to various domain of Cultural Heritage has been well appreciated and well received by both Academia and vocational sectors.
The Cultural Archives, a part of Kala Nidhi division, is itself a memory institution, rear of its kind, containing a multidisciplinary treasure trove of Indian Cultural heritage, encompassing aesthetic traditions, contemporary visual and performing arts, historical events, ethnographic materials, ritual and ceremonial practices from across India. The archive includes significant personal collections, compiled over decades by renowned scholars and collectors of various domains, which form the basis of research and dissemination of invaluable cultural materials. Noteworthy among these are Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1877–1947), Mulk Raj Anand (1905–2004), Mohan Khokar (1924–1999), Kapila Vatsyayan (1928–2020) etc. It also houses thematic and subject-specific collections, such as rare photographic documentation by Raja Deen Dayal (1844–1905), Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004), Sunil Janah (1918–2012), Sambhu Shaha (1905–1988); Paintings by Hungarian artist Elizabeth Brunner (1910–2001), Stone and metal art objects of Lance Dane (1923–2012) and so on. Additionally, the Cultural Archives holds nearly 2,000 video tapes and 1500 audio spools, featuring audiovisual documentation and films produced through important research projects taken up by the various divisions of IGNCA. Together, these holdings affirm IGNCA Cultural Archives as an unparalleled reservoir of India’s diverse and dynamic cultural heritage with its various documentation and safeguarding measures.
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