Nagar kirtan ( sa, नगर कीर्तन; ), or nagar sankirtan, is a tradition in the Indian religions involving the

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

al singing of holy

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

by a group in a residential area.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krish ...

is credited with introduction of custom of nagar kirtan, which included singing not only lyrical verses dedicated to

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

but also chanting and singing them repetitively on the streets of city in form of a procession.

Hinduism

In Hinduism, Bengali saint

propagated ideas of bhakti, or devotion to a personal God, through kirtan (collective recitation of hymns) and nagar kirtan (kirtan the in form of religious processions), and is credited in the

Vaishnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

tradition with introduction of the custom. The congregational singing of Chaitanya was done to folk tunes and accompanied by the boisterous booming of drums and cymbals. A February 2021 video of a nagar sankirtan at Sri Seetha Rama temple in Ashwathapura, Dakshina Kannada, by Raghu Leela School of Music went viral on social media with millions of views.

Sikhism

Nagar Kirtan ( Punjabi: ਨਗਰ-ਕੀਰਤਨ ), in Sikhism, is customary in the festival of

Vaisakhi Vaisakhi ( Punjabi: ), also pronounced Baisakhi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April and sometimes 14 April as a celebration of spring harvest primarily in Northern India. Further, o ...

. Traditionally, the procession is led by the

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent in ...

-robed

Panj Piare Panj Pyare ( pa, ਪੰਜ ਪਿਆਰੇ, ', the five beloved ones) is the collective name given to five men − Daya Singh, Dharam Singh, Himmat Singh, Mohkam Singh and Sahib Singh – by the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh during the hist ...

(the five beloved of the Guru), who are followed by the

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

, the holy Sikh scripture, which is placed on a

float Float may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Albums * ''Float'' (Aesop Rock album), 2000 * ''Float'' (Flogging Molly album), 2008 * ''Float'' (Styles P album), 2013 Songs * "Float" (Tim and the Glory Boys song), 2022 * "Float", by Bush ...

. Commonly, members of the procession are unshod in deference to the displayed scripture. Likewise, many cover their heads and don the colour saffron or orange. The road before the procession is cleared by Sewadars. Bystanders bow their heads to the scripture. Food may be provided to them from floats that follow the Scripture or from stationary points near the vicinity of the procession. The procession concludes at the

Gurudwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

with Ardas (pray).seke
2014

References

{{Reflist Kirtan Sikh kirtan Sikh terminology

Hinduism

Sikhism

See also

References