Ephemera:SoundsImagesPlaces

Salhesh mela and Jangali Badshah

April 18, 2023April 18, 2023 by Mon

Mon

Dating back to the 7th/8th centuries, loknaach, folk dramas that bring forward the precious epics of the Madhes and Mithilanchal areas are now performed more rarely than in the past and only in village fairs. This art seems to be dying out and many folk artists have moved to other…

Vivah Panchami 2022

January 21, 2023January 21, 2023 by Mon

Mon

Vivah Panchami celebrates the marriage of Lord Ram with Goddess Sita, and the connection between Janakpudham and Ayodhya. The city is said to be decorated “as a bride” for the festival. The sacred geography of the city is renewed through religious rituals and public events performed in key locations, mostly…

The Kartik Naach / Katti Pyakhan

November 10, 2022February 21, 2023 by Mon

Mon

Just finished doing the back up of the recording of the ten days of the Kartik Naach. The Kartik Naach is a dance-drama performed in the month of Kartik (October-November) in Patan Durbar Square, started in 1641 by King Siddhi Narsingh Malla. The apex centres around Narsimha Avatar. And here’s…

Twelve year Swetkali dance of Nardevi

October 22, 2022November 12, 2022 by Mon

Mon

The Swetkali dance is one of the Astamatrika dances traditionally performed in the Kathmandu Valley for the protection of the state. This year it was performed for two nights in Taleju Bhavani (Hanuman Dhoka) and for one night a full day on the dabali in front of Kumari Ghar. The…

Spellbinding Jhijhiya dance

September 30, 2022October 30, 2022 by Mon

Mon

Jhijhiya is a folk dance performed by women and girls of the Maithil communities of India and Nepal. It is ritually performed before Dashain festival taking place during the month of Ashwin (September-October, depending on the lunar calendar). As a “folk dance”, it´s is performed at any time of the…

The material presence of the divine in Janakpur

June 3, 2022July 4, 2022 by Mon

Mon

As I go through pictures of my fieldwork in Janakpur to prepare a presentation, the performative culture of the city stands out in astonishing ways. It is not only the Mithila paintings that adorn the walls, some still showing the bright colours of a recent addition, others fading, and witnessing…

La Corte Sconta detta Arcana

May 18, 2022June 8, 2022 by Mon

Mon

Besides lush palaces and quiet canals, there are many places in Venice that are wrapped in legends, stories and fantasy. La Corte Botera, or, as Hugo Pratt labelled it in one of the episodes of his Corto Maltese (graphic novel/animation) la Corte Sconta detta Arcana is one of them. In…

A long train ride across Europe

May 7, 2022July 5, 2022 by Mon

Mon

A long train ride started early morning from Heidelberg to Venice with just one change in Innsbruck. After an exciting and very productive trip to Nepal, I returned to a Europe wounded by a war that does not seem to end; a pandemic that is still not over and other…

Kathmandu clad in purple and soft rain

April 30, 2022May 4, 2022 by Mon

Mon

Last hours in a Kathmandu clad in purple and soft rain. What a relief after the heat of the Tarai. Returning to Nepal after a few years - and including a pandemic - felt strange at first. Even though the new work was exciting, I felt slightly estranged as I…

Fieldwork journeys

April 26, 2022April 28, 2022 by Mon

Mon

By land, by air through the imagination. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpDZjbr-F5U Janakpur-Jhumka by bus Biratnagar-Kathmandu. Getting a glimpse of how densely populated the area is from above is amazing.

“Mithila” murals everywhere

April 21, 2022May 2, 2022 by Mon

Mon

What is usually described as "Mithila paintings" are omnipresent in Janakpur public spaces. A full wall painting welcomes travellers at the airport. The hall of the newly constructed railway station also displays them. You can find them along the wall of the Janaki temple compound, but also in the wall…

The city of ponds

April 19, 2022April 28, 2022 by Mon

Mon

In Janakpurdham there are 72 ponds that are historically and mythologically important. Besides Mithila murals, ponds are probably the most unique marker of place in the city. Ganga Sagar is an important holy site for the devotees who come to take ritual baths and one of the best kept ponds.…

Karik Maharaj and folk theatre

April 16, 2022May 5, 2022 by Mon

Mon

After speaking with various people, I finally managed to travel to Kanakpatti, a village about twenty minutes by safari from Janakpur, to watch Karik Maharaj and speak briefly with the artists, get their contact details and arrange to return for more in autumn. They performed the epic of Karik Maharaj…

Of textiles and princess dresses

April 15, 2022April 27, 2022 by Mon

Mon

No matter how much we/I can challenge gender stereotypes in many ways in daily life, whenever I walk past shops selling princess dresses - and there are many here in Janakpurdham- I can’t help staring at the windows and if there was a place where I could wear one, I’d…

Ramnavami and Ram Mandir

April 11, 2022April 28, 2022 by Mon

Mon

Rama Navami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of god Ram, the seventh avatar of the deity Vishnu. Ram Temple is one of the oldest in Janakpur, built at the beginning of the 18th century by Amar Singh Thapa. One of the reasons why I travelled to Janakpur…

Janakpurdham Festival of Literature, Art and Theatre

April 9, 2022April 27, 2022 by Mon

Mon

Three intense amazing days of cultural programmes and discussions at the Janakpurdham festival of literature, art and theatre, April 6th to 8th. Politics and arts intertwined throughout. Fierce debates on stage about the need to uplift Maithili language and culture, and to establish a Madhesh Pradesh Academy to support and…

Janakpur’s train and the border

April 8, 2022April 27, 2022 by Mon

Mon

This morning I walked along the railway as a shortcut to a meeting. Yesterday I saw the new train to India pass by. The border is so important for this city. However, it seems that over the last ten years, Nepal border control officers have been creating problems to Indian…

A passion for bangles

April 5, 2022April 27, 2022 by Mon

Mon

I'd love for my next research, if there will be one at all, to be on bangles, bangle-makers, bangle styles, how they have changed historically, and how they change across South Asia. Bangles are an every day form of heritage that can easily be missed as they are omnipresent. But…

Colours of Janakpur

April 3, 2022July 5, 2022 by Mon

Mon

A short 20 minute flight (after a 2 hour delay) brings me to Janakpur. What strikes me most at first is the heat and the colours of the city. Janakpurdham or Janakpur is a sub-metropolitan city in Dhanusa District and capital of the newly named Madhes Province (former Province 2).…

Swayambhu

March 28, 2022May 5, 2022 by Mon

Mon

Looking for chariya dance poses in buildings to understand the connection between dance and architecture. Swayambhu is an ancient Buddhist complex, in the north-west of Kathmandu, including 320 chaityas and 275 statues. It's one of the seven world heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley. The Mangal Bahudvara Chaitya, newly restored…

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