Lama-Dance- Drama

By S.Sarwar.Malik

Surely the contribution of Jayadeva; the 18th century singer-poet [- who authored Geet-Govinda; the opera cum  ballet on the love-tale of lord Krishna & cowherd maidens], can’t be denied but prior to 7th century, great  dramatists existed in India. Kalidasa and Bhavabuti,for example; to name only few.The former contributed plays like Abhi-jnana-Shukuntala; inspired by a story in the Mahabharata and the latter created Mahavira-charita ; as well as utter-Rama- Charita ; both based on the epic Ramayana. Ultimately  Natya-Shastra came up in this land of ours.

It is this treatise that laid all chief elements like dance, music, characterisation, acting, gestures, costuming, dramatic construction, theatrical practices, stage-craft, architecture etc. 

 Ancient Indian theatre was performed in temples by priests wherein classification, viz Nayika, Nayak, Vidushaka (-jester), Sutradhaar (-stage-manager cum narrator),  is believed to have existed. In later stages, under royal patronage, drama developed as professional actors polished their acting skills (-abhinaya).By 7th century and surely before 10th century Great Theatre developed fully in India. After a lull, Indian theatre is again said to have been enriched, from 14th century to 18th century, by the folk theatre of India e:g  Bhavai of Gujrat, kuti-yattam Jatra of Bengal, kathakali of Kerala & Swang of Haryana/ UP and Yakshagana (-puppet show)  of Karnataka . I can sense readers are, just like me, reminded of the Baand Paetherr of Kashmir; while  the fallen-curtain of my eye-lids conjures the  faces of M.L.Kemmu & Subhan Bhagat (…and few others); the known figures of our folk theatre.

Indian theatre, both Sanskrit and Prakrit dated back to BC; of course initially, in rudimentary forms like earliest dialogue-hymns, that latter flowered in  the shape of Dance-Dramas-cum Story- recitation; encompassing dramatic narration, dance and music with featured textual, dramatic effects later.

It has to be accepted that music, dance and drama had gained popularity in India during 11-14 centuries AD. Thus  the existence of Theatre- Enclosures,Natak Mandapa, in Hindu Temples  that served as an important adjunct -used as a community-centre as well as place of worship, proves that theatre- tradition in India existed, almost, from antiquity. Some writers state that in THE INDIAN MYTHOLOGICAL PLAYS of rural India ‘Ritualistic -Worship’ or ‘Obeisance (Ranga-Puja), ‘Introductory Verses, Music & Dance’ (Purva Ranga) was performed prior to the main performance, in front of the ‘Holy Altar’. Masks- made of papier-mache, wood, clay etc were also used often. Imagine the performance proceeding at a leisurely pace…..music, dance and gestures accompanying….with interlude by ‘Clown’ (Vidushaka). 

In the whole Himalayan area rich traditions of Monastery Dramas are said to have evolved.

Tibet had its share of formalised folk dance among sedentary agriculturists. Folk tales about legendary cum historical heroes  and Buddhist Canonical Literature of Tibet could be the source of ache-lhamo; The Morality Plays of Tibet in which masks were used. Patron saint, also known as ‘Mad Yogi’, Thongton Gyalpo is said to have realised, through his Tibetan Opera style (Lhamo), that dramatised religious teachings had greater influence. The Buddhist Jatakas  (written from 6th to 2nd century BC), also called ‘The Birth Stories’, are morally instructive stories in whose dramatisation main characters, often, are ‘animals’. The Natas that are said to be mentioned in Jataka Books were wandering ministerial. Later, tropes associated with village monasteries performed in the plays when gradually the dictum ‘forbidding music & dance (for entertainment) to monks’ was diluted by time. 

Out of many  great figures of the Buddhist world, the one  that I would like to mention here is: Asvaghosha, [-probably of 1st century AD; — considered as the greatest expounder cum systematiser of The Mahayana School of Buddhism ( Teg-pa- Chenpo); who was the first propounder of the ‘Shuniya Theory’ ( Stongpa-nyid) and rendered commentaries of the Mahayana scriptures], is said to have written, around 1st Century AD, Lyrical Poems, out of which the Tibetan lyrical dramatic pieces,’ Poesy’, is said to have evolved. Nonetheless one should be open to the idea that Indian & Tibetan theatre might have been mutually benefited.

Now let us move to the wider canvas.

It is true, centuries  before the birth of Lord Christ, the theatre of Athens; revolving round GREEK MYTHOLOGY was played in open-air-theatres wherein costumes, voice, gestures and masks, etc were employed, and in which genres like tragedy, comedy, satyr existed. In Greek theatre not only one hears about great playwrights like Aeschylus (-Prometheus Bound), Sophocles (-The Oedipus Trilogy), Euripedes (-Hercules) etc but quite interestingly it is said in the city of Dionysia (Athens), during  the Dionysiac spring festival, rituals performed were accompanied by chorus,music & dance; and metrical spoken words were employed in the Phallic- songs . Above all, ponder on the name of the Roman god of theatre, Dionysos.

Roman theatre too has a history of its own and it is said we owe pantomime to Romans. It is of great interest to me that in ROMAN MYTHOLOGY the chief -god Jupiter, Lord of Heaven & Earth, sky & thunder, (Brahaspati in Sanskrit ; biggest planet in our solar system), is said to have figured in some post-plague- pacification- ritualistic Roman plays. Anyway, forcing my thoughts back to Athens, dear readers, it is contended that the Greeks influenced  Roman as well as Hellenistic theatre. Some EXAGGERATEDLY OPINE , THOUGH UNPROVEN, THAT GREEKS, around Alexander’s time, even contributed towards ancient Indian theatre. Yet it is apt to remember that around 315BC king Chandra Gupta drove out Seleukus(- the Greek ruler of Indus province); married his sister, whereby was born,  Ashoka Vardhana Piyadasi  [ – the great propagator of Buddhism; whose empire included Kashmir as well. Around 150 BC Kashmir came under the rule of Greek Meander, who, it is believed, became a Buddhist; coins of Meander exist in SPS Museum of Srinagar, if my memory serves me right ]. True, the role of  Greek theatre in modern theatre round the globe cannot be denied; including in British India of post-1860; as well as 20th century theatre.

 Ladakh is the living repository of a form of Buddhism, popularly called Lamaism and it is a land of living, soaring monasteries, Gompas. As is well known the Prince of Sakiya tribe of the mini-republic of Kapilvastu (-now in Nepal), Lord Siddhartha Gautama Buddha; (named by some as ‘Yuna Thundop’), attained Pari-nirvana at Bodh Gaya, India,in 6th century BC and bequeathed the world a ‘ religion’,called Buddhism; that over the time came to be known as Lamaism in Tibet/Ladakh. 

It is also well known that as per the census of 2011 Buddhists of Ladakh and Kargil  together constitute 40 % of the total population  of this erstwhile province of J&K ; 1.09 lakhs out of 2.7lakh persons.  

LAMA DANCE DRAMAS PERFORMED IN THE GOMPAS of Ladakh, chiefly on different festival days, are, almost in their entirety an import from Tibet but in all probability it must have originated in the Pre-Buddhist-Devil-Dancing-Cult of Bon-chos and Chinese opera may have exerted some influence but undeniably the structure of the Tibetan-Dance-Drama according to many writers is said to be of Indian origin; the benediction at the beginning of the play, before the Buddhist Altar; the dance of the ‘Six Singers of Good Wishes’ (-bkra-shis-zhol-pa) wearing the mask of the hunter (rngon-pa). But the make up, the formalised gestures and the ‘minor’ parts seem closer to Chinese Opera.

In The Dance-Dramas-of -Ladakh that are called Jel-bagkh or cham, the order of appearance of the characters, the steps and gestures, together with the passages in ritual text; corresponding to the successive phases of mime, are laid down in the dance script called cham-yig. 

The Buddhist Priests/ Monks Lamas reserve to themselves the exclusive right to act in these mystery plays; masquerading in quaint attire, with dramatic display and droll masked dances in the Gompas- -complex/courtyard.

The Lama Dance Dramas, presented for the edification of the faithful, is the sacred drama of religious nature; illustrating in adapted form, the famous Buddhist Birth Stories i:e ‘ Buddha’s previous lives as animals in which he practised COMPASSION; karuna; Snyingrje, (- ” such as the Visvantara and Sudhana Jatakas”)- tales about former lives of saints; about the triumph of Gurus like Padma-Sambhava; killing of enemies like  Langdharma (-devil with horn; historic enemy of Buddhists ), stories of Black-Hat-Dancers (zhwanags) with aprons of bones & brocades; portrayal of demons & devils and deities encountered within the ‘intermediate state between death and next life’ (bar-do) or on the way to heaven’. The characters are identifiable by their masks  e:g Stag (Sa-ba), Lion (Sen-ge), Tiger (tschan) or by peculiar clothes like Skeleton Clothes of The Graveyard Ghoul (Tur). Storyline of the plays,chiefly,  is the victory of good over evil.

But Pre-Buddhist fables  also figure. 

These masked dances are artistic creations, masterpieces of production and choreography. In masks where the grotesque or terrifying may seem expressionistic to us, we only have to deal with the codified iconography which has settled the actual appearance of the figures of the pantheon once and for all. 

To conclude let me reiterate an interesting information: Experts say, that the early reflection of complete drama, is evident in NAGANANDA; the most acclaimed five act play of 7th century, attributed to king Harsha Vardhana (- ruled from 606-648 AD) , belongs  to Buddhist tradition; and is based on an enlightening Buddhist legend; with invocation to Lord Buddha, is said to be in Sanskrit language.

• The contributor is a penman and columnist, who has spent some years in the pursuit of Ladakh-studies. In Sept 2024, his poetry collection, titled CRIES OF THE THORN BIRD, was published

Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now

MONTHLY	Rs 100
YEARLY	Rs 1000
LIFETIME	Rs 10000

CLICK FOR DETAILS