The hilltop that holds the magnificent Swoyambhunath Stupa, the popular Buddhist pilgrimage site, witnesses musical orchestras from different groups paying homage during the month-long Gunla Festival.[break]
Keshab Thoker
FAST FACTS
• The Gunla music broadcast by Radio Nepal for the 40 years is a recorded version of the performance by the Tebaha Gunla Baaja Khala. They recorded the music twice in the Radio Nepal studios for which they were paid Rs 30 and Rs 300 respectively.
• Last year, during the time of Dashain festival, the Ason Gunla Baaja Khala showcased a procession of 100 musicians. The age of the musicians allegedly ranged from as young as seven years to 77 years.
• Earlier, girls were forbidden to play Gunla music.But many Baaja Khalas have now defied the traditional convention and have included female members in their troupes. The Shakya Gunla Baaja Khala of Nagal is supposed to be one of the pioneers in including female musicians.
• With time, many Baaja Khalas started using western instruments such as trumpets and clarinets along with traditional Newar instruments. But many troupes are now reviving the traditional instruments, such as bansuri (flute), to replace foreign instruments.
• Apart from the popular musical instruments played during Gunla, one is Nyaku, an instrument made from buffalo horns, and played only by the Buddhacharyas.
Especially during weekends, such music reverberates through the thick crowds of devotees with more than a dozen musical bands playing around the stupa at the same time. The beats from individual bands, however, do not sound coherent but nonetheless seem to compliment each other in the festive atmosphere.
Believed to be made of two Newar words, ‘gun’ meaning auspicious, and ‘la’ meaning period, the Festival of Gunla generally falls in the month of July/August.
With musical orchestras, known as Baaja Khalas (musical troupes), from various toles or streets in and around the Kathmandu Valley playing every morning while traveling to Swoyambhu from their respective precincts, this festival can barely go unnoticed to the valley denizens.
“Gunla music was supposed to be a favorite of Prince Sidhhartha Gautam before he was enlightened and became the Budhha,” says Aayu Ratna Sikhrakar, the music teacher of the Tebaha Gunla Baaja Khala, explaining the origin of the musical orchestras during the Gunla Festival.
He further adds that according to mythology, after a king named Bidhurva attacked Kapilvastu, the kingdom of King Suddhodhana, Prince Sidhhartha’s father, many citizens fled their country and settled in neighboring areas. One such group of people took refuge in the Kathmandu Valley and introduced the Gunla music.
“Of course, these myths don’t have evidences but these are the legendss passed on from generations,” says the 74-year-old teacher.
Traveling to Swoyambhu every morning during the rainy season is no less tedious. But Aayu Ratna says that there is a popular belief regarding the celebrations of Gunla in this particular season.
“This is the time when there used to be a lot of natural calamities and also the time of year when the food supplies used to run to its last stock. So this festival used to engage people in their faith and prevent them from having depressive thoughts,” he says.
But the Gunla Festival in the current scenario is related to the preservation of cultural heritage. Though no written documents exist to signify the commencement of this festival in the Kathmandu Valley, the Baaja Khalas have been recruiting younger generations to keep the centuries-old heritage from extinction.
“Gunla music shouldn’t be played whenever one feels like. It’s played only during festivities and other programs that pay homage to Lord Budhha,” says Aayu Ratna.
He further describes that the music is played in coordination of seven basic rhythms, namely, Chhowa, Partaal, Jati, Lantaal, Palima, Astra, and Garaha. In addition, there are different beats that must be played during particular times and places.
“For examples, there are different beats to be played while crossing a river, while walking up the steep stairs to Swoyambhunath, or after reaching the stupa. Every beat has its own significance,” he explains.
There are certain beats known as Gwara that are played around gods or goddesses. Nityanath Gwara, Astra Gwara, Bhagwan Gwara, and Sangin Gwara are some of the types of this music.
Among these, Aayu Ratna claims that Sangin Gwara has become obsolete and it is only the Baaja Khala musicians who can play this music.
“I learnt this beat in 1954 but it was rarely heard after that. Then, it was only in 2007 I taught this beat to my students and we’ve been playing it since then,” he says.
He adds that he is happy that he was able to offer something special to his students and also helped to conserve a beat that everyone had forgotten about.
He also credits other musical orchestras for keeping the Newar Buddhist heritage alive.
“There’s a trend of hiring professionals during Gunla to play certain instruments but many Baaja Khalas have been putting on a good deal of efforts to learn traditional instruments by themselves,” he says.
Though the festival is generally celebrated by the Newar Buddhists of the Kathmandu Valley, it is also observed in other parts of the country where the majority of Newar communities are settled. Gunla is observed as a festival to revere the teachings of Gautam Budhha. Therefore, like the musical orchestras travelling to Swoyambhunath in Kathmandu, people in other parts of Nepal travel to their respective nearby stupas for the same purposes.
“Swoyambhunath being the biggest pilgrimage site for Buddhists, it’s where the musical bands should arrive. But since it’s not possible to travel long distances with the musical instruments everyday, the orchestras outside Kathmandu pay homage at their local stupas,” says Aayu Ratna.
As for the musical orchestras of Kathmandu, there are certain routes for traveling to and from the western hilltop of Swoyambhunath.
“We take the route through Bijeshwori, Tamshipakha, Naradevi, and Janabahal,” he says, adding that after reaching Janabahal, the musical troupes then take separate ways that lead to their respective toles.
The Janabahal route is a regular one but there is another elaborate route that they take on the day of another festival, Gai Jatra. It is the festival that commemorates the deaths of people during the year and rallies from the deceased persons’ families also see the number of Gunla Baaja Khala taking to the streets following similar routes.
“But the routes for the Baaja Khalas are more elaborate than the Gai Jatra processions. Apart from the regular Gai Jatra route, we also need to visit different Chaityas and Viharas,” says Raja Ratna Sikhrakar, former president of the Tebaha Gunla Baaja Khala.
Walking with heavy drums in addition to playing them without missing a beat is not at all a simple task. The unique musical orchestras that perform while their musicians are walking or traveling are a pride to the culture and heritage of the country.
But as arduous is the task to perform in these musical orchestras, it is equally a hard work to sustain these bands.
“It takes around two to three hundred thousand Rupees every year for the Gunla Festival,” says Sikhrakar. Baaja Khalas are required to host “Paru Vo’ye,” elaborate feasts to their musicians and members at the end of the month-long festival. Thus, the finances required for the festival also depends upon the number of members in the groups.
But it is not just about money. The biggest challenge lies on the formation of the musical orchestras. For a Baaja Khala to play flawless music, it needs regular rehearsals and training. And as male youths are supposed to be playing in the orchestras during the Gunla , the Baaja Khalas need to prepare for new batches of players every two to three years.
“Trainings begin on the day of Shri Panchami, a month prior to the Gunla Festival, and stops two weeks before the commencement of the festival. Then, on the first day of the festival, the new musicians play their respective instruments for the first time in public,” Aayu Ratna explains about the training process for the Gunla.
The musical instruments are kept in a particular house, and during the Gunla festival, all the musicians and members of Baaja Khalas gather there before they start the daily procession.
“In earlier times, there used to be a certain house that would store the instruments. It was also the place for musicians to practice. It was known as ‘Aakha Chhen.’ But now, there is no particular house, so we keep the instruments at a place where it is most convenient,” says Raja Ratna.
He also mentions that until a decade ago, most of the Baaja Khalas in Kathmandu were economically unstable and were on the verge of quitting. But there was a gradual cultural awareness in the members of Baaja Khalas as well as the local residents and hence the worst predicted never happened.
Like every Newar festival, Gunla also hosts a series of festivities that include worshipping, music and big feasts. But the festival holds a particular significance in the preservation of traditional Newar music and musical instruments. In fact, festivals such as these act as a bridge to keeping the traditions alive and an opportunity to pass the skills and information to the younger generations.
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