Raslila the Performance Tradition of India

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1.) People Who Have Historically Practiced Raslila:
Raslila is a performance tradition that has its origins from the country of India. Its creation dates back to the fifteenth century. The whole purpose of the performance tradition is an attempt to retell the important moments in the life of the Hindu Lord Krishna. Raslila began originally in only the regions of India connected to Lord Krishna’s mythology. Gumand Dev, Hitharivansih, and Naryan Bhatt are the three Vishnu bhakti saints who are thought to have created the tradition (Miettinen). Historically, young males raging in ages from eight to thirteen years old have performed this tradition. Yet, worshiping Hindus of all ages and genders have always attended it (Miettinen).
2.) Cultural, Historical, Social Contexts of Tradition:
Raslila is a performance tradition that is very important to the culture and religion of India as a whole. The point of Raslila is to tell the story of the Hindi Lord Krishna’s life as a young boy, which teaches the people of India the importance of divine love, joy, and happiness. Thus, it is usually performed during large festivals, but mainly during celebrations that center around the Hindu religion. Krishna Jamashtami is the largest occasion in which Raslila is performed because it is meant to celebrate the birth of the Lord Krishna (“Raslila, Indian Folk Dance”). The dancing within the performance is considered Indian folk dancing because it has such a long and rich history within the country of India (Banerji). There is over 450 years of different adaptations of the dance style found throughout Indian history, and is considered one of India’s most ancient traditions (Banerji).
3.) Ritual of Entertainment:
Raslila is essentially a very rituali...

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...iety of instruments and songs (“Raslila, Indian Folk Dance”). Therefore, it is up to them what they choose to play during the lila part of the performance, making it another convention.
7.) How is the Tradition Viewed Today:
Raslila is still a huge part of Indian culture today. In today’s more modern society, girls are now allowed to participate in the performances and can even play the lead roles of Lord Krishna and Radha. However, because it is becoming a more modern version of the performance type, Raslila is slowly inching away from being a sacred religious ritual and is becoming something with more entertainment value. Raslila being performed today can involve more modern music along with more modern dance styles. Yet, the ultimate meaning of Raslila has held true over the years. It is still a celebration of the life of Lord Krishna and his true love Radha.

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