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About Jagars - Folk Dances of Kumaon and Garhwal
Jaggar falls in the category of ghost and spiritual
worship, in the form of a folk song or at times
combined with dances. Sometimes, Jaggar may also be
in the form of Puja folk songs and are sung in .honour
of the various gods and goddesses.
There are more than 50 ballads on indigenous
spirits, gods and goddesses, fairies and ghosts, the
most famous Ganganath, Gorilla, and Bholanath. The
chief priest, Gantava, fixes the time on whicl1 a
jagar is to be formed. Around the burning fire, in a
circle, are members of the village or family-suddently,
like a magician the Das, or singer, slowly, and with
measured drum beats, starts to invoke the spirit.
Coupled with his singing, punctuated by the exotic
drum-beats, and the shrill sound of the thali', the
crescendo, builds up and drives the listeners into a
trance. In a fit of ectasy they leap, shout, tremble
and j'ump, sometimes tearing off their clothes. As
they move around the fire, the Das starts to address
them by the name of the spirit or spirits involved
and asks the spirits, the questions that are sought
by some families and the remedies. Usually the
spirit demands a sacrifice of a goat or a bird. The
spirit is sent back to its Himalayan abode and the
spell breaks-the dance and the ceremony is over.
While in a state of trance the dancers lick red-hot
pokers, or shove their hands into the blazing fire
without being harmed.
The instruments used are a big Drum (Dhol), a
smaller Drum (Damua), Hurka and Thall.
