Uttar Pradesh was the land of the great sages and hermits and the singing of ancient hymns and mantras laid the basic tradition of music, which has blossomed into a musical tradition. The medieval age saw the emergence of two distinct strands of music.Blessed with cultural richness, Uttar Pradesh has grabbed the attention of the tourists with its popular folk dance and music. The Charkula Dance of the Braj region in Uttar Pradesh is one of the spectacular folk dance where one can enjoy the fascinating sight where a veiled woman dancer performs with more than hundred oil lamps on her head.
Coming to Raslila which has been introduced through the mythological stories in Bhagavad Gita is a dance form which depicts Lord Krishna's love towards the milkmaids as well as his consort Radha in Vrindavan region. Reflecting the traditional essence and practiced in the entire Uttar Pradesh, Ramlila is one of the oldest folk dances and play of the state which depicts the life of Lord Rama and is mainly performed during the Dussehra festival making Ramlila an innate part of the religious culture and practice.
1.Charkula Dance-The Charkula Dance is a dance performed in Uttar Pradesh. This is a dance where women place a large pyramid of oil lamps on their head. This dance honors the birth of Radha, who is Krishna’s beloved. The local legend says that when Radha was born, her grandmother placed a lamp atop her head to announce the birth. It’s really quite amazing when you see the women twirl and move about without a hint of hestitation.
3.Raslila-The dance form of Raslila owes its origin to the amorous encounters of Lord Krishna and his milkmaids. According to legend, once the milkmaids demanded Krishna to be their partner in dance. To please everyone, Krishna cast a spell. This spell made each of those milkmaids think that Krishna was dancing with them. Thus, the custom of Raslila was born.At Uttar Pradesh Raslila, you would find the presence of a folk tradition that has incorporated various fundamentals of Indian classical music,dance and drama.
4.Ramlila-Ramlila is another dance form which is primarily practiced in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar. It could also be one of the oldest folk dances of Uttar Pradesh.It depicts the life of Lord Rama in play and dance form. Just like Raslila, Ramlila takes us to the life journey of god Rama who is believed to be another incarnation of God Vishnu.Since, this folk form is mainly performed during the Dussehra festival, it makes the folk dance an innate part of religious culture and practice.
6.Kathak-The word Kathak means the “narrator”. Kathak dance is the art of narration through slick yet sharp body movements. It is accompanied by the traditional instrument Tabla or pakhavaj.The dance owes its origin to the state of Uttar Pradesh. It started its journey from the courts of Emperors and Nawabs of the then Awadh and has traversed a path that was full of turmoil to reach where it is i.e. in the hearts of the masses.
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