What is this Baul?

What is this Baul?

Baul are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal. Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many sects, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims.

Who are the Baul in India?

Bauls are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal. The term Baul refers to both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition used as a vehicle to express Baul thought.

What is special about Baul music?

Amongst the various genres of Bengali music, Baul Sangeet has always held a special place. It is basically a folk dialect of Bengali music, which has its own raw and mystic charm. It was developed by a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal, considered to be a syncretic group with music in their blood.

What is Baul guru?

Bauls have ghars (literally, house, lineage) or guru-traditions. These ghars are named after the principal Baul gurus: Lalon Shahi, Panju Shahi, Delbar Shahi and Panchu Shahi. A special section of the Bauls is known as kartabhaja. They follow Vaisnava traditions and are known as sati mayer ghar.

What is Baul culture?

Bauls belong to an unorthodox devotional tradition, influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Bengali, Vasinavism and Sufi Islam, yet distinctly different from them. Bauls neither identify with any organized religion nor with the caste system, special deities, temples or sacred places.

What is the use of Baul?

Chest (Baúl). Philippines, 17th century. Wood, metal plaques. This elaborately carved trunk was intended for transport, evidenced by the wrought iron handles attached to the sides and the reinforced…

What is Baul tradition?

Bauls are a religious and cultural group of India, best known for their songs and poems to the god who dwells within. The term “Baul” is usually understood to mean “madman” or religious ecstatic, and Bauls often describe themselves as crazy for God.

Which instrument is used in Baul Sangeet?

Bauls use a number of musical instruments: the most common is the ektara, a one-stringed “plucked drum” drone instrument, carved from the epicarp of a gourd, and made of bamboo and goatskin.

How old is Baul?

1,000 years old
The Baul songs are also listed under UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Once Kej and Co started the project, however, they realised that telling the Bauls’ story shouldn’t just be a segment of their work. “They have a tradition that is over 1,000 years old.