Essay name: Vasudevahindi (cultural history)
Author:
A. P. Jamkhedkar
Affiliation: Savitribai Phule Pune University / Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute Pune
This essay is an English study of the Vasudevahindi reflecting cultural history and traditions of the life of people in ancient and medieval India during the 6th century. The Vasudevahimdi is a romantic and religious tale that revolves around the wanderings of Vasudeva (a former Jain monk) and religious teachings in the guise of love stories, a common theme of poetry in Jainism.
Chapter 3 - Social Conditions
205 (of 228)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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352
On this day 'the tree of lamps' (divarukkha)
2 was lit with lamps and was worshipped by the people.
Throughout the day and especially at night they participated
in the revelry of songs, dance and music (gita-natta-
gamdhavva) played on instruments like the pipe (venu),
lyre (vi峁嚹�) and drums (padaha) 1. Several dramatic troupes
(pecchanaya-sahassa) visited big cities on such occasions
Display of
who enacted scenes (kougapecchanaya) with the help of
mechanical devises (jamtaniciya) was also made to please the
visitors. The scenes represented in such a way in the
of
festival at Savatthi were from by the stories from the
Puranas (lo茂yasui). At one place they showed Rana in
Elsewhere a married woman was shown
exile with Sita.
賲丕
praying the god for union with the same husband in the next
birth while at another place abduction of polomikanna by
Indra was represented.
The Mahakomudi celebrations attracted a
large number of people, and as such gave an ideal opportunity
for a rendezvous鲁.
1. Vh(M), I. 19b.
2. Ibid.; I. 17a.
3. Ibid.; I. 19-20.
