Trance, Ritual and Rhythm : The Cult of Mahasu Deota in the Western Himalayas

Contents: Preface. Introduction. 1. Background. 2. Deconstructing insider and outsider: Reflexivity in issues of personal identity and fieldwork in Jaunsar-Bawar. 3. Geography, ethonography and musical background. 4. Tantric cosmology of sound and the Dhol Sagar. 5. Caste, social marginalization, and liminality. 6. Cosmology, environment, and performance. 7. Conclusion. Bibliography. Glossary of terms.
 
"This study is based upon field research conducted in Hanol, a Jaunsari Village in the Western Himalayan region of India. The daily Puja ceremonies in Hanol are central to the social and spiritual life of the community; rituals drumming is a central component of this ceremony. During the ceremony, the Bajgis, hereditary musicians, perform a series of talas (rhythmic cycles) that bring the spirit of the deity into oracles known as bakes or malis. The temporally and spatially bounded region of performance is a field for the negotiation of identity: the Bajgis are defined reflexively and socially through their drumming, as are the Brahmins by their priestly duties. A variety of ethnogrpahic methods are employed to analyze the religious belief systems, the performer and audience relationship, and reflexive methodologies of participation/observation. The intersubjective nature of this event results from the multiplex of interpretive frames that intersect in its bounded space. Performative activity brings together the fields of self-awareness, personal and collective identity, the body in performance, knowledge and belief systems. All of these elements manifest in the music." (jacket)