Raja Nal and the Goddess : the north Indian epic Dhola in performance / Susan Snow Wadley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wadley, Susan Snow, 1943-

Language:

English

Hindi

Subjects (All):

Dhola.

Nala (Hindu mythological character)--In literature.

Nala.

Folk literature, Hindi--History and criticism.

Folk literature, Hindi.

Epic poetry, Hindi--History and criticism.

Epic poetry, Hindi.

Physical Description:

xiii, 242 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, [2004]

Language Note:

In English; includes translated passages from the Hindi original.

Summary:

Dhola is an oral epic performed primarily by lower-caste, usually illiterate, men in the Braj region of northern India. It is sung in honor of the goddess Durga, who is its patron and primary benefactor to both the singer and the story's hero. Taking up to thirty nights to perform, this vast epic portrays a world of complex social relationships involving changing and mistaken identities, goddesses, powerful women, magicians, and humans of many different castes. Related to the classic story of Nala and Damayanti, Dhola is the story of the travails of that most human of humans, Raja Nal. Born in a forest, raised as a Merchant, taking on disguises as an Acrobat and Oil Presser as well as a leper and a madman, Raja Nal seeks to understand what it means to be a king, and what it means to be human. As Raja Nal endures banishment from his kingdom, challenges to his honor, and tests of his abilities as a warrior, women and goddesses play prominent roles in determining his fate. In this comprehensive study and first extended English translation, Susan Snow Wadley draws on multiple variants of the oral texts. She argues that Dhola explores the nature of humanity while challenging commonplace assumptions about Hinduism, gender, and caste in ways that can be fruitfully contrasted to other great epic and textual traditions of India. Wadley examines the relationship between oral and written texts and the influence of individual performance styles while providing a rich and lyrical translation of the text for students and scholars.

Contents:

Part 1 Dhola

1 Introducing Dhola 3

2 The Story of Dhola 9

3 Dhola as Performed: Two Singers 65

Part 2 Dhola Interpreted

4 The Goddess and the Bhakti Traditions of Braj 95

5 Motini, Dumenti, and Other Royal Women 120

6 Oil Pressers, Acrobats, and Other Castes 142

7 Who Is Raja Nal? 171

Appendix 2 Oral Performances 199.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [223]-231) and index.

ISBN:

0253344786

0253217245

OCLC:

55036802