Nagar_Kirtan

Nagar kirtan

Nagar Kirtan (Sanskrit: नगर कीर्तन; IAST: nāgara-kīrtana), or nagar sankirtan, is a tradition in the Indian religions involving the processional singing of holy hymns by a group in a residential area.[1][2]

Quick Facts
Nagar Kirtan Procession heads off from Gurdwara Singh Saba East London

Hinduism

Nagar Kirtan of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

In Hinduism, Bengali saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu[3] propagated ideas of bhakti, or devotion to a personal God, through kirtan (collective recitation of hymns) and nagar kirtan (kirtan the in form of religious processions),[4] and is credited in the Vaishnava tradition with introduction of the custom.[5] The congregational singing of Chaitanya was done to folk tunes and accompanied by the boisterous booming of drums and cymbals.[6]

A February 2021 video of a nagar sankirtan at Sri Seetha Rama temple in Ashwathapura, Dakshina Kannada, by Raghu Leela School of Music went viral on social media with millions of views.[1]

Sikhism

The road in front of a Nagar Kirtan procession in East London is swept clean as an act of Seva by members of the community.

Nagar Kirtan (Punjabi: ਨਗਰ-ਕੀਰਤਨ (Gurmukhi)), in Sikhism, is customary in the festival of Vaisakhi. Traditionally, the procession is led by the saffron-robed Panj Piare (the five beloved of the Guru), who are followed by the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy Sikh scripture, which is placed on a float.[7]

Commonly, members of the procession are unshod in deference to the displayed scripture. Likewise, many cover their heads and don the colour saffron or orange. The road before the procession is cleared by Sewadars. Bystanders bow their heads to the scripture. Food may be provided to them from floats that follow the Scripture or from stationary points near the vicinity of the procession.[8] The procession concludes at the Gurudwara with Ardas (prayer).[9]

See also


References

  1. ""Nagara Sankeerthane" By RLSM Mysuru Students Goes Viral On Social Media". Businessworld. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  2. Mallik, Basanta Kumar (1996). Medieval Orissa: Literature, Society, Economy, Circa 1500-1600 A.D. Mayur Publications.
  3. Current Thoughts on Sikhism. Institute of Sikh Studies. 1996. ISBN 978-81-85815-01-5.
  4. Nagar Kirtan 16 June 2012
  5. seke, 2014
  6. seke, 2014

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Nagar_Kirtan, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.