Janakpur

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…

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…

“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…

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…

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…