Description
Dancing with Devtas provides a comprehensive ethnographic study of the sacred musical traditions of Garhwal, a region in North India’s Himalayan foothills. The author investigates the intricate relationship between percussion instruments, particularly drums, and the spiritual practices of divine possession central to local Hindu rituals.
Through detailed fieldwork and cultural analysis, the book explores how music functions as a conduit for accessing the divine realm. Drummers and dancers enter altered states of consciousness through rhythmic performance, becoming vessels for the devtas (deities) to manifest and communicate with devotees. The study examines the social, religious, and psychological dimensions of these possession phenomena.
This work contributes significantly to ethnomusicology and religious studies, offering insights into non-Western spiritual traditions and the role of sound in facilitating transcendent experiences. It provides valuable perspectives on how music operates within specific cultural and religious contexts.
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