In the ancient town of Dolakha, some festival, jatra or fair takes place in almost every month of the year, so musical instruments hold great importance there.
A jatra involves dance, song and a religious procession, in which instruments are indispensable.
Festivals, Rituals and Lifelong Bond with Instruments
In the Newar settlement of Dolakha, residents are closely connected with instruments from birth to death.
For example, when a boy’s bratabandha (sacred thread ceremony) is performed, there is a custom of taking him in a musical procession from the Ganesh temple on the western side of the town to the Bhimeshwar temple in the northeast.
At the time of marriage, there is a custom of playing Gujarati baja. Drums and instruments are also played for the old-age rice-feeding ritual (buda pasni, janku).
When someone wins a legal case, there is a custom of wearing a turban, going from the Ganesh temple to the Bhimeshwar temple with instruments playing, and performing worship there.
In case of death, the body is taken for the final rites to the cremation ground accompanied by “Siku baja”. On the thirteenth day, when taking the offerings (pindas) to be dissolved, only the muhari instrument is played.
In various other auspicious functions and at the time of giving sagun, “sagun baja” is played.
In the Khando jatra, after the deity achieves victory in battle with Mahishasur, there is a custom of returning in great joy with sagun baja playing.
Similarly, every morning during Kumari jatra, sagun baja is played when the living goddess Kumari enters inside.
In major rituals such as Panchabali puja and Yakar puja, instruments are also played.
During Dashain, when going to sacrifice goats, households of the larger lineages in the Dwakhuchhen neighbourhood go with instruments playing.
Main Instruments and Caste-Based Responsibilities
The main instruments used in Dolakha are dholak (double-headed drum), muhari (shawm/oboe), buksal (jhyamta, a type of cymbal) and chyamchyam (jhyali, another form of cymbal).
Gujarati is a special type of muhari that is larger than the regular muhari and produces a sweeter melody. This instrument is mainly played at weddings and when Nepal Dakas (night Lakhey dance) is performed, together with dholak and buksal.
Between muhari and Gujarati, there is also a blown instrument with some holes, similar to a flute, from which melodies in various rhythms are produced.
The dholak is played on both sides either using only the two hands or using sticks on both sides. In most religious festivals and jatra, dholak and chyamchyam are used.
The nagara played by Damai musicians is played in the procession that carries the Phulpati to Rajkuleshwar temple on Phulpati day. In the past, during daily worship at the Bhimeshwar temple, there was also a tradition of playing nagara and dhwandhwan (damaha).
When Dolakha existed as an independent kingdom, it is found that the responsibility of playing instruments was assigned to the Kasai and Kusule communities from the time of the kings.
The Kasai caste plays only the dholak. The Kusule caste plays only the muhari.
From earlier times, the Kasai caste was settled in Ganesh Tole on the western side of the town and the Kusule caste was settled in Jogi Tole. Since then, their descendants have been bearing the responsibility of playing instruments in the jatra of Dolakha.
When carrying a corpse, if no Kusule is present, a single Kasai plays by placing the chyamchyam on top of the dholak and beating it.
At present, because they have refused to play instruments, Chhetri and Brahmin communities take funerals using the sound of the conch shell instead.
Newar Participation and Continued Role of Muhari
Clearly, in Dolakha there is no tradition of Newars playing the jatra instruments.
At times such as when Lakhey is danced, when going to Kalinchok, or during town circumambulation in “Gulna hui”, Newar youths themselves play the dholak.
However, as the Kasai caste has now refused to play and the number of players has decreased, one or two Newar youths have also begun to play dholak during Kumari jatra.
They have started playing dholak out of a sense of duty that their traditional jatra must be preserved.
The muhari, which is used very frequently, is still played by the Kusule in all kinds of functions.
Occasions with Only Muhari and the Use of Khii Drum
In some jatra and festivals, there is a custom of playing only muhari without dholak.
For example, when taking offerings to dissolve after the thirteenth-day rituals, during the Hipathami jatra in Dashain when the procession moves from Tripurasundari temple towards the outer pavilion, and on Dashain in some family shrines (dekutha, kulyan), only muhari is blown.
Likewise, in the Matsyendranath jatra, during Twal puja, only muhari is played.
In large jatra such as Kumari jatra and Khadga jatra, dholak and chyamchyam are used together with muhari.
Although in most festivals and jatra the instruments played by Kasai and Kusule are prevalent, on some occasions a large drum-like instrument called khii is played while singing dapha bhajan (devotional group hymns).
For instance, in Dashain, during the Khando jatra held on the day of Ekadashi, there is a custom of playing khii from the Nateshwar temple of Dungal while singing bhajans of Goddess Bhagwati and Malshree bhajans.
In the classical dance called “Khari pyakhan”, dancing is done accompanied only by khii.
When returning after bringing Phulpati, khii is played and bhajans are sung as well.
In Gai jatra, the official cow procession is held with khii playing.
When khii is played, specific rhythms called tal and baul are used, and on special occasions buksal instruments are also played.
As Dolakha is a cultural and religious town, there is a custom of inviting dapha bhajan groups to sing at home on auspicious occasions such as birthdays and pasni (first rice-feeding ceremony).
Dapha Bhajans, Bugdeu and Major Processions
Likewise, when “Bugdeu” (Matsyendranath) is brought into the temple located at Dwakulungga, and on the day the Swasthani observance is completed, when the town circumambulation is done from Varanasi to Sahasradhara, bhajans are sung by dapha groups from all the neighbourhoods together.
In the Hile jatra, when dapha groups who have gone to Kalinchok return, they begin singing bhajans from Pakhalti and at the same time conduct a circumambulation of the town.
On Haribodhini Ekadashi in the month of Kartik, dapha groups from Tallo Tole, Mathillo Tole and Dwakulungga Tole go to the local “Tursiko” (Tulsi) shrines in their respective neighbourhoods and sing bhajans in the local language.
On Balachaturdashi, separate groups from Tallo Tole and Mathillo Tole go around all the shrines in the town, playing instruments and sprinkling the hundred kinds of seeds (satbij).
During the month-long practice of singing from Ganesh temple to Bhimeshwar temple in Magh, modern instruments such as harmonium, tabla and chilimili are played.
On Fagu Purnima as well, two separate groups from Tallo Tole and Mathillo Tole play instruments, celebrate Fagu and circumambulate the town.
When going for the invitation puja of Chaite Dashain, and in the Matsyendranath jatra when going from Dwakulungga Tole to bring Matsyendranath and again when returning him, instruments are played.
Seasonal Rhythms, Gulna and Jatra Cycles
The melodies of the instruments and the way they are played differ according to the season, as well as according to the jatra and the dances.
Among the festivals and jatra held throughout the year in the town of Dolakha, instruments are played when pulling the effigy of Ghantakarna on Gathe Mangal.
From the following day, known as the day of the pigeons, groups from Tallo Tole and Mathillo Tole perform “Gulna ui”, going around the shrines in the mornings with instruments while circumambulating them, and this continues up to Kage Aunsi.
The Gulna festival lasts for nine days. From the day after Gathe Mangal, Lakhey dances are performed with instruments, in which dholak and chyamchyam are used.
In Nepal Dakas, Gujarati and dholak are used.
On Chaturdashi, the special festive day of Nakhat yane, two groups from the two neighbourhoods go to Kalinchok with instruments playing, and on Janai Purnima they return and circumambulate the town with dholak and chyamchyam playing.
In the “Twakal pyakhan” performance shown on the evening of Gai jatra, dholak and chyamchyam are also used.
From Dwitiya to Khasti, Kumari jatra is held for five nights, with dholak and chyamchyam being played throughout the night.
Dashain, Muhari and Temple Obligations
Thus, even though dholak and chyamchyam are played on most occasions, on some events only muhari is played.
To signal the arrival of Dashain starting from Kage Aunsi, the Kusule play muhari in the Malshree melody at the shrines.
During Panja, the bhanda groups go from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, playing instruments and asking for alms.
From the day the jamara is sown in Dashain until Ekadashi, instruments are played in the shrines in the mornings and evenings and at the various family shrines (dekutha) in different neighbourhoods.
In the dekutha of smaller families, only muhari is played.
On Ghatasthapana and on the day of Nakhat, instruments are mandatory when collecting pure water (nilokhu) and taking it to the Rajkuleshwar and Tripurasundari temples.
Decline of Traditional Instrumentalists
At present, these instruments are in danger of disappearing.
In earlier times, the Kasai and Kusule who played instruments were obliged to work according to the division of labour assigned by the state. They had also been given some land, and during festivals the Kasai and Kusule used to receive a share.
For example, in the Hile jatra, the head of the buffalo collected by the government bodies used to be given to the Kasai and Kusule. Now all these practices have disappeared.
On top of that, many families have only one or two sons, and those sons too are going in search of employment within the country and abroad, so very few sons of Kasai and Kusule families remain at home.
Moreover, educated Dalit youths feel embarrassed to do the work of playing instruments in front of their friends.
Need for Support and Sustainable Preservation
Nowadays, very few people perform cultural and religious activities purely in the name of tradition. For this reason, Newar youths have also started playing dholak in Kumari jatra.
To play dholak in Khadga jatra, two Kasai players and six or seven Kusule who play muhari are required.
In Kumari jatra, there is an instrumental group of fourteen people: two Kasai who play dholak and jhyamta, and twelve Kusule who play sanai (muhari).
Khadga jatra starts early in the morning and ends at dusk. Kumari jatra begins in the evening and ends the next morning. In both these jatra, the instruments must be played continuously without a break.
To make the tradition of playing instruments in cultural festivals and jatra sustainable, it is extremely necessary to establish an endowment fund so that they receive some remuneration every year.
Without instruments, festivals and jatra have little charm; without festivals and jatra, the town of Dolakha has no identity.
Dolakha Culture