A few days back, one of my close friends motivated me to attend the annual celebration of Lal- Bab Soub-Zakura. “The particular thing about this annual celebration is the display of Dhambali Dance”. We reached there at 4:15 pm. People from different areas were marching towards the Shrine. Dhambali dance started exactly as per the pre-scheduled time at 4:30 P.M. people were excited, eagerly waiting for the performance. The scene fascinated me and I made the first-hand decision that I would write something about it. I consulted various historical books and heard some talks related to it to know its origin and its relevance to indigenous culture. As far as its historical traces are concerned, there are different versions of history concerning this wrangling dance-Dhambali. Some say that the tradition of Dhambali dance has evolved from the famous tomb of Moulana Rumi which is situated in the town of Konya in Turkey. It is said that his followers and his son Sultan Walad founded the Mawlawiyah Sufi order, also known as the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, which is famous for its Sufi dance known as the Sama ceremony. The people who perform this Sama are called Dervishes and are held in high regard by the Sufis of Turkey. it is at this Sufi center that the followers of Rumi’s school of thought gather at his tomb and present Sama.
So for its introduction in Kashmir, It is said that from here this Sufi practice traveled to central Asian states and at last reached Kashmir. In Kashmir, it lost its name to the Dervish dance and came to be known as the Dhambali dance. This tradition continued and got reshaped into folk art. Some historians have put forward their view based on their research Dr. Farooq Fayaz- historian says that it is practiced in pre-Islamic times in Kashmiri when the place was inhabited by Nagas Indigenous in other parts of popular game indigenous game or dance Himalaya regions Khomia, Nepal and is named as “Dami” Another noted historian Dr. M.Yousf says that it is a sort of recreation and amusement prevalent in Kashmir since immoral times in the valley.
A few Kashmiri Sufi saints followed and promoted it in their respective Khanqahs like Baba Naseeb-Ud-Din Gazi RA at Bibehara in south Kashmir Lal-Bab Sahab RA at Zakura. There is a verbal story associated with it. When the Sufi saint Baba Naseeb-Ud-Din Gazi came to know that his disciples became a bit sluggish, he conducted regular joint practicing sessions to keep them physically and mentally fit. One day they were busy practicing, beating the drum, and chanting Allah, Allah. People from the nearby area started to assemble there to watch their actions. In the meantime, an idea struck him to use the same practice for social and religious purposes. They traveled far and wide and used this as a tool to assemble the people to collect donations. The same donations were used for the construction of Masjids, Khanqhas, and other public constructions. Besides that, those saints had spent their entire life caring for orphans, and the destitute therefore they also used to distribute alms among needy people. Over time, the new social and economic order changed and left an imprint on its performance and its intention.
Some associated with it have taken it as a source of earning. Some sustained this old-aged tradition alive as a mark of memory. What may be the reason this centuries-old popular Dhambali has almost become an outdated performing art in Kashmir valley? A few decades back it was considered one of the most popular dances of Kashmir and was played at several cultural and social events, especially in villages. But as things have changed, this art is hardly nowadays played anywhere except on certain special occasions for a few Sufi saints. The community of the artists called ‘Dhambali Faqir’ have given up the art and is searching for alternatives as the Dhambali no longer earn their livelihood. As Dhambali no longer earns them livelihood.
The new social order and the indifference of the powers that be, according to the artists, are the causes of the decline of art. Generally, this dance is performed by wearing long, colorful robes and tall, conical caps, studded with beads and shells. The followers first make circles and then dance while standing in chorus The dancers sing in chorus. Drums are used to assist the music. The performers move ritually, erecting the flag (Alam) on the ground then the dance begins with men dancing around this flag. The Dhambali dance concluded with special supplications and chanting of slogans -Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, Ya Ali Hydiri. Not only the Local Dhambali dancers but the dancers from other districts associated with different groups take part in the event. During the festival, I had a brief interaction with one of the groups of dancers associated with Khair Shah Dhambhali Centre Beeru, Budgam Takiya Lal Pora. One of the members of the group Javid Ahmad Shah said, “Our ancestries have been attending this annual celebration for the seven generations. Earlier non-agriculturist families from different areas collected paddy, maize, or other foodstuffs from those families who had ample agricultural land.
We go from door to door to collect alms in the form of grains. After that, all the groups assembled at any particular place, and distribute the collected grains among the groups. Finally, we collectively conduct live group performances of Dhambli dance to express our gratitude. Though Zakura is a centrally located place from this side and had ample agricultural land in and around its peripheries. This was the best-suited place for us. From here, foodstuffs were collected and distributed among the poor and needy people. In this way, the charity work was done because there was no formal institution that can fill up the needs of the poor and needy people. This is what I heard from my descents. We attend this annual celebration to keep its legacy alive even though the agricultural land has been shirking with each passing day and new social and economic structures have emerged now. Rest knows the Almighty Allah.
Conclusion: under the light of the above information, we can say that this wrangling or Dhambali dance has a different interpretation, some connected it with faith and used it as a ladder to achieve their goals, some considered it as a form of entertainment, some say that it is a folk dance, some used it as a tool to do social work. But the fact of the matter is that it has been prevalent in different societies for years. It remained the subject matter of research for historians and sociologists so we can’t underestimate its relevance.
Haroon Rashid Bhat is a teacher and columnist. He can be mailed at minamharoon123@gmail.com
