Jagar – the God calling ceremony!

Jagar means awakening the word Jagar comes from the Sanskrit root, Jaga, meaning "to wake". Some village deities are worshiped in Uttarakhand and western regions of Nepal, such as Gangnath, Golu, Bhanariya, Kalsan, etc. these deities are called “Gram devta” in the local language. Therefore, the people of Uttarakhand organize “Jagar” to awaken the gods. The gods are invoked through music. The singer, or Jagariya, sings a ballad of the gods with allusions to great epics, such as the Mahabarata or Ramayana, in which the adventures and exploits of the god being invoked are described. After evolving over time, Jagar singing has transformed into an art form that is greatly cherished, the exponents of which are often heralded as living heritage. 

God being incarnated in a lady Dangariya
Source: Google

Jagariya sings the story, playing the dhol and damau and hudka, he is accompanied by two or more people who plays different folk instruments. The second character of a Jagar is a Dangariya, the deity raises in Dangariya’s body after he is invoked by Jagariya’s story. The third character of the Jagar is Sevakar, the one who organizes the Jagar for his and his family well being. Rice grains are placed in front of the dangariya and the sevakar asks the question which are answered by the Dangariya. Jagar is mainly organized during night by lighting a fire in the middle.

A Jagariya or Dholi playing dhol and singing the Saga
Source: Google

The tradition of Jagar is a part of Folk Hinduism, which has co-existed alongside mainstream Hinduism and is prevalent across the Himalayan regions of India and Nepal. The hard life within the Himalayas and constant exposure to the vagaries of nature inspired a strong belief in paranormal phenomena and in numerous folk gods, who were given great reverence and respect. Every village had its own god, called Bhumyal or Kshetrapal, protecting its boundaries. Each family has its own Kul Devta or Kul Devi. While most of these deities have been lost or incorporated into monotheistic practices, Hinduism has strong kuladevata traditions that enabled the Jagar tradition to grow in India and Nepal. In particular, the isolation of the Kumaon and Garhwal due to the Himalayas promoted the emergence of local religious traditions, which are still strong in these regions along with mainstream Hinduism.