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27-652: Kumaonis , also known as Kumaiye and Kumain (in Nepal), are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who speak Kumaoni as their first-language and live mostly in Kumaon division in the state of Uttarakhand in India . Kumaoni is also used as a term for people who have their origin in Kumaon. The word Kumain is a direct derivative of Kumaoni. Worshipping Vishnu and Shiva is predominant in this region. According to Skanda Purana . Kumaon
54-737: A diverse collection of peoples speaking Indo-Aryan languages in the Indian subcontinent . Historically, Aryans were the Indo-Iranian speaking pastoralists who migrated from Central Asia into South Asia and introduced the Proto-Indo-Aryan language . The early Indo-Aryan peoples were known to be closely related to the Indo-Iranian group that have resided north of the Indus River ; an evident connection in cultural, linguistic, and historical ties. Today, Indo-Aryan speakers are found south of
81-674: A festival is generated. At the transition of the sun from one constellation to another Sankranti is observed. Each Sankranti has a fair or festival connected to it somewhere in Kumaon. Fooldeyi, Bikhauti, Harela , Ghee Sankranti, Khatarua, Ghughutiya are the most-observed Sankranties throughout the region. Other festivals have the bearings in the moon and thus the dates change frequently in the Gregorian Calendar. Basant Panchami , Shiv Ratri, Saton–Athon , Kumauni Holi , Uttarayani, Samvatsar Parwa, Ram Navami , Dashra, Batsavitri, Rakshabandhan , Janmastmi, Nandastmi, and Deepawali are some of
108-430: A film as well, 'Sita Svayamvar', and 'Haru Heet'. Apart from that he also gave music for many theatre productions, including 'Ghasiram Kotwal', his music for Hindustani version of Brecht's Three Penny Opera was vastly appreciated and still remembered as his finest. He worked for many years to revive traditional Ramlila plays and bring them to urban audiences. He also gave music for a number of television productions in
135-520: A lesser extent, Central Asian steppe pastoralists. South Indian Tribal Dravidians descend majorly from South Asian hunter-gatherers, and to a lesser extent Iranian hunter-gatherers. Additionally, Austroasiatic and Tibeto-Burmese speaking people contributed to the genetic make-up of South Asia. Indigenous Aryanism propagates the idea that the Indo-Aryans were indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, and that
162-593: Is a traditional attire of Kumaoni women, generally worn for religious occasions, marriage, and other rituals. Traditionally handmade using vegetable dyes, pichhauras are available in red and saffron. Local designs made in Almora, Haldwani and other parts of Kumaon use silk and accessories made of pearl . It is now made using machines. Kumaoni men wear the black Kumaoni cap. White Kumaoni caps are worn during festivals, especially, during Kumaoni Holi . After harvesting season people mostly relax, rejoice, dance and sing, and thus
189-511: Is believed to be the birth place of Kurma avatar of Hindu god Vishnu. The Kurmanchal kingdom was a medieval kingdom of Kumaon. it was established by Vasudeo Katyuri. Its capital was Baijnath . It was one of the oldest Himalayan kingdoms, unified most of the Himalayas, and extended from Sikkim in the east to Kabul in the west at its peak. After the fall of the kingdom, it was divided into eight princely states. The next ruling clan of Kumaon were
216-510: Is remembered for his immense contribution towards the revitalisation of the Kumaoni folk music; and for his efforts towards preserving old Kumaoni ballads, songs and folk traditions. Upreti is best known for his song " Bedu Pako Baro Masa ". Mohan Upreti was born in 1928 in Almora , where he also received his early education. Almora was then a quaint little town, still untouched by rapid development that
243-466: The Progressive Writer's Association were formed, as a response to the Indian freedom struggle by the artistic community, Mohan Upreti couldn't remain untouched by this burgeoning movement, and while still at Allahabad University he formed his theatre group, 'Lok Kalakar Sangh'. As a young man in the 1940s and 50's, Mohan Upreti travelled across Uttarakhand, along with B. M. Shah , and collected
270-501: The 80's including in a series based on Ruskin Bond 's stories, 'Ek Tha Rusty', where again his compositions were noticeable for the distinct Kumaoni folk touch. He died in 1997, in New Delhi. He married Naima Khan Upreti , a graduate of National School of Drama , in 1969. Each year on his birth anniversary, 'Parvatiya Kala Kendra', an institution set up by him, presents a new play. In
297-777: The BMAC, and then migrated further south into the Levant and north-western India. The migration of the Indo-Aryans was part of the larger diffusion of Indo-European languages from the Proto-Indo-European homeland at the Pontic–Caspian steppe which started in the 4th millennium BCE. The GGC , Cemetery H , Copper Hoard , OCP , and PGW cultures are candidates for cultures associated with Indo-Aryans. The Indo-Aryans were united by shared cultural norms and language, referred to as aryā 'noble'. Over the last four millennia,
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#1732858618803324-516: The British brought to other hill stations like Nainital and Shimla . It was this environment that drew, dancer Uday Shankar to create his institute at Almora in 1937. He was deeply influenced by trade union leaders like P. C. Joshi , who later became a prominent leader of the Communist Party of India ( CPI ) and also Upreti's mentor. In the 40s, Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) and
351-465: The Indo-Aryan culture has evolved particularly inside India itself, but its origins are in the conflation of values and heritage of the Indo-Aryan and indigenous people groups of India. Diffusion of this culture and language took place by patron-client systems, which allowed for the absorption and acculturation of other groups into this culture, and explains
378-796: The Indo-Aryans developed, are identified with the Sintashta culture (2100–1800 BCE), and the Andronovo culture , which flourished ca. 1800–1400 BCE in the steppes around the Aral Sea , present-day Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The Proto-Indo-Aryan split off around 1800–1600 BCE from the Iranians, moved south through the Bactria-Margiana Culture , south of the Andronovo culture, borrowing some of their distinctive religious beliefs and practices from
405-480: The Indo-European languages spread from there to central Asia and Europe. Contemporary support for this idea is ideologically driven, and has no basis in objective data and mainstream scholarship. Mohan Upreti Mohan Upreti (1928–1997) was an Indian theatre director, playwright and a music composer, considered one of the pioneers in Indian theatre music. A popular figure in Kumaon , Mohan Upreti
432-560: The Indus, across the modern-day regions of Bangladesh , Nepal , eastern- Pakistan , Sri Lanka , Maldives and northern- India . The introduction of the Indo-Aryan languages in the Indian subcontinent was the result of a migration of Indo-Aryan people from Central Asia into the northern Indian subcontinent (modern-day Bangladesh , Bhutan , India , Nepal , Pakistan , and Sri Lanka ). These migrations started approximately 1,800 BCE, after
459-1060: The Kumaoni language as their mother tongue. Hence there is an absence of data number of ethnic Kumaonis living outside Kumaon. Source: There is a large Kumaoni diaspora in neighbouring Nepal , because of Katyuri and Kumaon Kingdom. The actual speakers of Kumaoni in other countries, however, are not known. Though there is a presence of Kumaoni speakers outside India and Nepal, especially in Western countries. The Kumaoni NRIs are again returning to their culture with more awareness and concern about its importance and survival. Indo-Aryan people Pontic Steppe Caucasus East Asia Eastern Europe Northern Europe Pontic Steppe Northern/Eastern Steppe Europe South Asia Steppe Europe Caucasus India Indo-Aryans Iranians East Asia Europe East Asia Europe Indo-Aryan Iranian Indo-Aryan Iranian Others European Indo-Aryan peoples are
486-680: The Manrals. The dynasty at its peak controlled the Tons to the Karnail river. Kumaon was one of the few countries of South Asia that were never ruled or conquered by any Muslim dynasties. There was widespread opposition to British rule in various parts of Kumaon. The Kumaoni people, especially from the Champawat District, rose in rebellion against the British during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . Under
513-451: The auspicious occasions. Dasshera festival starts in Kumaon with the performance of Ramlila , which is itself unique as it is based on the musical rendering of the katha or story of Rama based on the theatrical traditions set by Uday Shankar while on his stay in Almora . These traditions were further enriched by Mohan Upreti and Brijendra Lal Sah. Known as the Almora or Kumaon style, Ramlila has been recognised by UNESCO as one of
540-522: The efforts of theatre stalwarts like Mohan Upreti and Dinesh Pandey and groups like 'Parvatiya Kala Kendra' (started by Mohan Upreti) and 'Parvatiya Lok Kala Manch'. Besides this the famous Hindi poet, Sumitranandan Pant also hailed from Kausani, district Bageshwar. Kumaoni food is simple and comprises largely of vegetables and pulses. Vegetables like potato ( aaloo ), radish ( mooli ), colocacia leaves ( arbi ke patte , papad ), pumpkin ( kaddoo ), spinach ( palak ) and many others are grown locally by
567-679: The fast vanishing folk songs, tunes, and traditions of the region to preserve them for posterity. Upreti was instrumental in bringing the Kumaoni culture and music into national focus by establishing institutions like the Parvatiya Kala Kendra (Center for Arts of the Hills), which he constituted in Delhi, in 1968. The institution produces plays and ballads strongly rooted in the Kumaoni culture. In fact, B. M. Shah and Mohan Upreti together, are credited with
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#1732858618803594-623: The invention of the war chariot, and also brought Indo-Aryan languages into the Levant and possibly Inner Asia . Another group of Indo-Aryans migrated further westward and founded the Mitanni kingdom in northern Syria (c. 1500–1300 BC); the other group was the Vedic people. Christopher I. Beckwith suggests that the Wusun , an Indo-European Caucasoid people of Inner Asia in antiquity , were also of Indo-Aryan origin. The Proto-Indo-Iranians , from which
621-514: The largely agrarian populace and consumed in various forms. In 2011, the census reported a total of 2,081,057 Kumaoni speaker in India, constituting 0.17% of the country's population. As per 2011 Indian census, there were 1,981,062 (95.19%) Kumaoni speakers in the Kumaon division . There is a large Kumaoni diaspora in other states as well as outside India. However, due to the usage and acceptance of Hindi as their mother tongue, many Kumaonis do not list
648-667: The leadership of Kalu Singh Mahara , many Kumaonis also joined the Indian National Army led by Subash Chandra Bose during the Second World War . In Nepal there are castes of Brahmins who migrated from Kumaon to Nepal during the medieval period. They are now characterized as 'Kumain Bahun' or 'Kumai Bahuns'. UNESCO designated Kumaoni as language in the endangered and unsafe category which requires consistent conservation efforts. Various attires are worn in Kumaon. Pichhaura
675-406: The representative styles of Ramlila in India. The 150-year-old Kumaoni Ramlila was declared as the longest running opera in the world by UNESCO. Chholiya is popular dance in Kumaon region. It is the oldest folk-dance of Uttarakhand. Jhoda and Chanchari are other folk dances of Kumaon. Kumaoni theatre, which developed through its 'Ramleela' plays, later evolved into a modern theatre form through
702-520: The revival of the theatre in the Uttarakhand He remained in the faculty of National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, for many years, and also directed plays for NSD Repertory Company, where his most known work was the play, ' Indra Sabha '. His most important work is the epic ballad 'Rajula Malushahi' , published in 1980, offers never before insights into the Kumaoni folk culture. His other important plays are 'Nanda Devi Jagar', upon which he made
729-422: The strong influence on other cultures with which it interacted. Genetically, most Indo-Aryan-speaking populations are descendants of a mix of Central Asian steppe pastoralists, Iranian hunter-gatherers, and, to a lesser extent, South Asian hunter-gatherers—commonly known as Ancient Ancestral South Indians (AASI). Dravidians are descendants of a mix of South Asian hunter-gatherers and Iranian hunter-gatherers, and to
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