Indian culture has always been and is concerned with both, the aesthetic experience or rasa in human phenomenon, as well as in the divine realm. Upanishads declare the ultimate experience to be rasa—raso vai sah. The cultural and literary geography of Braj (area roughly falling between Delhi and Agra in north India) serves as a meeting ground for the divine and human, sacred and profane, man and nature, religion and politics, rituals and economy. The seeming opposites when embrace each other like female and male and dance in love, all limitations and distinctions are transcended in the Maharasa, the great circular dance of culture.
Against this background, indistinct in its antiquity, flourished a varied world of art, nourished both by the land of Braj and by its devotees. The Goswamis, immersed in devotional religion, went on to found schools of philosophy, establish methods of worship, etc., all incorporating traditional and new ideas of art into the worship of Radha and Krishna in their land of Braj. In the field of music, for examples, the rasa-lila and samaja traditions are both related to classical Dhrupad, but aimed at a specific function: to promote devotional feelings for Radha and Krishna. From both the rasa-lila and samaja traditions further art forms developed, which are described below.
Dhrupad
The Bhagavata Purana tells us that Lalita Sakhi (a musician and female companion of Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan) sang in Dhrupad style during the famous rasa dance. Dhrupad means “fixed verse”, that is, the verses used are set to a definite melodic and rhythmic pattern and its forms were incorporated into more popular and enduring traditions, becoming the basis of rasa-lila and samaja. Its stylistic eminence is even recognised today, when all royal patronage for this most courtly art form has completely disappeared; rasa-lila and samaja repay their debt to the parent tradition of Dhrupad by promulgating its musical form. Through its own tradition of saints and musicians, who provided the verses and music for the form, and through the continuing tradition of rasa-lila-mandalis or troupes, which have utilised the classical forms of Dhrupad by incorporating them into the folk tradition of music-drama to re-enact the sports of Radha and Krishna in Braj.
Samaja
Samaja has been mentioned as one of the continuing original offshoots of Dhrupad singing. While classical Dhrupad was rehabilitated in the royal courts of the Moghuls, Samaja took refuge in the temples, where it was put into the service of Radha and Krishna. The great poet saints of the 16th and 17th centuries wrote verses in the Braj dialect describing the sports of Radha and Krishna and these were set to the traditional Dhrupad style of singing, with some variation.
In the temples, the devotional aspect of the art of music was emphasised. As it survives to this day, the style is “responsive singing”, with the verse first sung out by a lead singer and then repeated by the accompanying Samaja or group of musicians playing instruments like the sarangi, pakhawaj, and cymbals, all to the chorus of the devotees.
Since temple traditions vary, there are Samajas sung daily in certain temples, and these depict the daily activities of Radha and Krishna living in Braj. In other temples, Samaja is only sung on special occasions. Well-known Samajas occur on the birth anniversaries of Radha and Krishna, during the forty day period between Basant Panchami, the spring festival, and Holi, renowned for its playful throwing of colours, at Jhulan, the swinging festival during the rainy season when swings are still hung from the trees in the Braj area, etc.
Rasa-lila
The Bhagavata Purana recounts how Krishna disappeared in the midst of the dance with the gopis during the full moon night. Enacting the parts of the various characters, the gopis began to perform Krishna’s childhood sports in order to bring him back. This ancient evidence for the rasa-lila is followed by other literary references and inscriptions.
The definitive form of rasa-lila was realised during the 16th and 17th centuries. Several saints were instrumental in shaping the modern day rasa-lila.
The inclusion of a sermon by Krishna has also served to bring out clearly the message of the rasa-lila and the spiritual values, which are at its core. Thus, the folk tradition has incorporated the classical tradition, enriched it, and made it the instrument of mass-education.
Rasa-lila companies (mandalis) play to attentive audiences in Braj during the monsoon season (July-August). During the remaining ten months of the year they are invited for performances all over India, even beyond the Hindi-speaking areas, and they certainly are one of the most efficient factors in creating a feeling of national integration in modern India, since they inspire integration of the language and religion, through the beguiling play of the celestials.
Music, dance, and drama find their fullest dimension in rasa-lila. The rasa dance is mentioned in early works on music and drama, where it also means the typical dances of Manipur and south India. The Braj rasa-lila, however, shows an analogy with the dance known as Kathak, although the movements used in the rasa-lila are not fixed like those of the Kathak. Dhrupad musical forms have been adopted in rasa-lila, as well as folk elements of music. Perhaps the most important point of the Braj rasa-lila tradition is this fusion of various classical and folk elements into an artistic tradition, which has stood the test of time, retaining its popularity by keeping older forms and yet is supple enough to imbibe contemporary influences.
Sanjhi
The temples have incorporated art forms not only from the classical arts but also from folk traditions. One such tradition is the celebration of Sanjhi. The delightful background to this festival is the worship of the sanjhi motif at dusk; the motifs are made by young girls on the walls of their homes during a period of 15 days in order to procure a fine husband. According to the tradition of Braj, Krishna disguises himself as a young girl and unknown to Radha joins her in the sanjhi worship, helping her to obtain himself as her husband!
The sanjhis created in the temples are related to an ancient art form described in the Vishnu-dharmottara-purana, where it is known as dhuli-chitra, making pictures with coloured powders. In the temples making of Sanjhi designs goes on for a full 15 days. The Vrindavan temple sanjhis are extremely elaborate, consisting mainly of intricate geometric patterns, requiring great skill to execute. The entire tradition of sanjhi, from the proper preparation of the coloured powders and the clay base for the drawings to the geometric designs themselves, consists of highly specialised operations.
Several priests concentrate for several hours daily to complete these works of art, which are then effaced at the end of the ritual.
The sanjhis are prepared on a fresh octagonal clay base each day. An eight-petalled lotus is also the mystic seat of Radha and Krishna, and Vrindavan itself is conceived of as a lotus. Either at the centre of the geometric designs, or spread out amidst these designs, representations of Radha and Krishna, Chaitanya, or the various pastimes of Radha and Krishna are depicted. Often a special samaja is sung for the occasion.
Sringara
Sringara refers to all kinds and varieties of decoration. Both the images in the temple and the svarupas or child actors in the rasa-lilas are honoured with the finest of decorations. In the rasa-lila, for example, the floral designs are most striking. The beautifully strung, fragrant garlands are requisites for the complete costuming of Radha, Krishna, and the gopis. Along with these garlands, smaller items, such as earrings of flowers, are also made with great skill and a sense of style; the same may be said for the various flower decorations which adorn the mukutas or crowns which the svarupas wear.
Phula-Bangala
An extension of the personal sringara or decoration of images and svarupas is the art of building phula-bangalas, which literally means entire houses of flowers, in which the deities are then enshrined. Incredibly intricate geometric patterns are produced by the tying of the strings of flowers onto the frames; the cut-outs of plantain stalk are also extremely intricate and show a high degree of artistic skill and dedication.
Images
Temple worship in Hinduism presumes a highly developed aesthetic expression. At the heart of the temples are the images, which must be made to strict scriptural standards. Casting of images in brass and other metals is another of the important skills still practised in Braj. Not only are images cast in metals. For other festive occasions, such as Diwali, images, such as that of Lakshmi, Ganesh, Hanuman, and a variety of animals, from horses to elephants, and human figures, are also produced. Many of them are brightly painted, displaying traditional costumes of the area.
All of the above-mentioned arts and crafts are put to one principal use: the enhancement of the sense of devotion, both in temple worship and in the viewing and enjoyment of the rasa-lila which may be called the ultimate extension of temple worship into everyday life, with a concomitant pouring of bhakti or devotion into every humdrum activity of the worshipper’s life.

The writer is involved in traditional performing arts, inter-faith dialogue and conservation.

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