placemaking

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…

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…

“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.…

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…

Thamel is struggling

March 16, 2022May 2, 2022 by Mon

Mon

Construction sites and closed businesses. A walk in Thamel can easily give the measure of how much the area has struggled because of the Covid19 pandemic and the lockdown. It really looks like a ghost of itself without tourists flooding the area. After the government decided on a complete lockdown…