Agra: The famed musical tradition of 'haveli sangeet',originating in western Uttar Pradesh's Braj region, is on the verge of extinction in the place of its origin, with no patrons or followers, say musicians and aficionados.
Only a few temples in the region such as the Radha Ballabh temple at Vrindavan, the Sri Krishna temple at Nand Gaon, the Radha Rani temple at Barsana and the Nathdwara temple near Udaipur in Rajasthan are following the tradition these days.
Haveli sangeet involves the daily worship of Lord Krishna with a special kind of singing, according to a set timetable of ragas which vary according to different hours of the day.
The tradition is of specific importance to the Pushtimarg sect started by Vaishnavite saint Vallabhacharya around 945 AD.
"Haveli was actually a temple where the presiding deity was installed. Due to the intolerance of some Muslim rulers, temples were called 'haveli' or mansion," explains professor Satya Bhan Sharma, a retired dean of the music department at DEI University in Agra.
The main component of haveli sangeet is the Hindustani classical singing style, dhrupad. However, dhrupad is often fused with folk music to produce songs which revolve around devotion to Sri Krishna and are rendered in 'keertan' form, as 'bhajans' and 'bhav nritya'.
In the Pushtimargi system of worship, four 'darshans' or different times of having a glimpse of the lord - Mangla, Shringar, Gwal and Raj bhog - are held in the morning and three in the evening - Utthapan, Sandhya Aarti and Shayan. Different ragas are sung before each darshan of the deity.
Instruments used in haveli sangeet are pakhawaj, tabla, harmonium, surpeti, jhanjh, majeera, sometimes a bansuri and sarangi also.
Haveli sangeet flourished in the 16th century when its exponents included the eight poets called 'ashta chaap kavis', and the blind bard of Braj, Sant Surdas. These exponents enriched the tradition and gave it a structure.
But now musicians say haveli sangeet is more threatened than the classical dhrupad, mainly due to lack of patronage and the dwindling number of discerning audiences because this is a highly sophisticated musical genre.
"Earlier, music was an integral part of Sri Krishna temples in Agra and the whole of the Braj region where groups of musicians sang according to the time of the year or festivals. Musical presentations preceded every darshan of the deity," reminisces Sharma, who has authored numerous research papers and authored a monograph on the haveli music of the Pushtimarg sect.
In many temples of Gujarat, haveli sangeet is still practised, particularly those that follow the Pushtimarg tradition of worship.
Among contemporary musicians, Pandit Jasraj is one of the main exponents.
But now youngsters are being lured by contemporary fusion music with a predominantly Western orientation. "If the rich tradition of haveli sangeet is not promoted and patronised, nobody would be able to prevent its extinction. And we would have lost a glorious heritage of music," warns Satya Bhan Sharma.
