GiseleStead: expanded content

2026-04-19T13:38:38Z

expanded content

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	[[file:Photograph of Bhai Jawala Singh Ragi playing accordion (vaaja), Bhai Gurcharn Singh on Jori, and Bhai Avtar Singh on Taus at Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, Lahore, ca.1935.jpg\|thumb\|Bhai Jawala Singh Ragi playing [[Indian harmonium\|harmonium]], Bhai Gurcharn Singh on [[Jori (instrument)\|Jori]], and Bhai Avtar Singh on [[Taus (instrument)\|Taus]] at [[Gurdwara Dera Sahib\|Gurdwara Dehra Sahib]], [[Lahore]], 1935]]		[[file:Photograph of Bhai Jawala Singh Ragi playing accordion (vaaja), Bhai Gurcharn Singh on Jori, and Bhai Avtar Singh on Taus at Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, Lahore, ca.1935.jpg\|thumb\|Bhai Jawala Singh Ragi playing [[Indian harmonium\|harmonium]], Bhai Gurcharn Singh on [[Jori (instrument)\|Jori]], and Bhai Avtar Singh on [[Taus (instrument)\|Taus]] at [[Gurdwara Dera Sahib\|Gurdwara Dehra Sahib]], [[Lahore]], 1935]]

	''Kirtan'' ([[Gurmukhi]]: ਕੀਰਤਨ ''Kīratana'') refers to devotional singing in [[Sikhism]].<ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112"/><ref>{{cite book\|author=Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair\|title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ \|year=2013\|publisher=A&C Black\|isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 \|pages=24}}</ref> It is typically performed at [[Gurdwaras]] (Sikh temples). Sikh scriptures and legends are usually recited in a song, to a certain ''[[raga]]'' and accompanied with musical instruments. The Gurus themselves created numerous musical instruments including the [[Taus (instrument)\|Taus]], the [[Sarangi]], the [[Sarinda (instrument)\|Saranda]] and a modification of the [[Pakhawaj]] (called [[Jori (instrument)\|Jori]]) creating an early form of the [[Tabla]].<ref>{{cite book\|title=Sikh sacred music\|date=1967\|publisher=Sikh Sacred Music Society\|page=63\|location=Oxon}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Narayan\|first1=Badri\|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration\|date=2017\|publisher=Routledge\|page=75\|edition=First}}</ref>		''Kirtan'' ([[Gurmukhi]]: ਕੀਰਤਨ ''Kīratana'') refers to devotional singing in both Hinduism and [[Sikhism]].<ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112"/><ref>{{cite book\|author=Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair\|title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ \|year=2013\|publisher=A&C Black\|isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 \|pages=24}}</ref> It is typically performed at [[Gurdwaras]] (Sikh temples). Sikh scriptures and legends are usually recited in a song, to a certain ''[[raga]]'' and accompanied with musical instruments. The Gurus themselves created numerous musical instruments including the [[Taus (instrument)\|Taus]], the [[Sarangi]], the [[Sarinda (instrument)\|Saranda]] and a modification of the [[Pakhawaj]] (called [[Jori (instrument)\|Jori]]) creating an early form of the [[Tabla]].<ref>{{cite book\|title=Sikh sacred music\|date=1967\|publisher=Sikh Sacred Music Society\|page=63\|location=Oxon}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Narayan\|first1=Badri\|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration\|date=2017\|publisher=Routledge\|page=75\|edition=First}}</ref>

	A ''Shabad Kirtan'' refers to the musical recitation of the [[Guru Granth Sahib]], the primary scripture in the Sikhism tradition which is arranged according to ''[[raga]]''.<ref>{{cite book\|author1=Knut A. Jacobsen\|author2=Kristina Myrvold\|title=Sikhs Across Borders: Transnational Practices of European Sikhs\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HtrWKPWBEXEC \|year=2012\|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic \|isbn=978-1-4411-7087-3 \|page=113}}</ref> ''Shabad Kirtan'' can be listened to silently or sung along with the gathered congregation.<ref>{{cite book\|last1=Anand\|first1=Balwant\|title=Guru Nanak His Life was his Message: a Biography\|date=1983\|publisher=Guru Nanak Foundation\|page=224}}</ref><ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112" />		A ''Shabad Kirtan'' refers to the musical recitation of the [[Guru Granth Sahib]], the primary scripture in the Sikhism tradition which is arranged according to ''[[raga]]''.<ref>{{cite book\|author1=Knut A. Jacobsen\|author2=Kristina Myrvold\|title=Sikhs Across Borders: Transnational Practices of European Sikhs\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HtrWKPWBEXEC \|year=2012\|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic \|isbn=978-1-4411-7087-3 \|page=113}}</ref> ''Shabad Kirtan'' can be listened to silently or sung along with the gathered congregation.<ref>{{cite book\|last1=Anand\|first1=Balwant\|title=Guru Nanak His Life was his Message: a Biography\|date=1983\|publisher=Guru Nanak Foundation\|page=224}}</ref><ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112" />

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{{Short description|Musically recited story in Indian traditions}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
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'''Kirtan''' ({{lang-sa|कीर्तन}}; {{IAST3|Kīrtana}}) is a [[Sanskrit]] word that means "narrating, [[Bhajan|reciting]], telling, describing" of an idea or story,<ref name="Lal2009p423">{{cite book|author=Ananda Lal|title=Theatres of India: A Concise Companion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=goELAQAAMAAJ |year=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-569917-3 |pages=423–424 }}</ref><ref>MacDonell, A. A. (2004). A practical Sanskrit Dictionary. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, pages 15, 382-383</ref> specifically in [[Indian religions]]. It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts, connoting a musical form of narration or shared recitation, particularly of spiritual or religious ideas,<ref name="Lal2009p423"/> native to the [[Indian subcontinent]].

With roots in the [[Vedas|Vedic]] ''anukirtana'' tradition, a kirtan is a [[Call and response (music)|call-and-response]] style song or [[chant]], set to music, wherein multiple singers recite or describe a legend, or express loving devotion to a deity, or discuss spiritual ideas.<ref name="Lal2009p422"/> It may include dancing or direct expression of ''bhavas'' (emotive states) by the singer.<ref name="Lal2009p422" >{{cite book|author=Ananda Lal|title=Theatres of India: A Concise Companion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=goELAQAAMAAJ |year=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-569917-3 |pages=422–424 }}</ref> Many kirtan performances are structured to engage the audience where they either repeat the chant,<ref name="Sara Brown 2012 pages 25-26">Sara Brown (2012), ''Every Word Is a Song, Every Step Is a Dance'', PhD Thesis, Florida State University (Advisor: Michael Bakan), pages 25-26, 87-88, 277</ref> or reply to the call of the singer.<ref name="Alanna Kaivalya 2014 3–17, 34–35">{{cite book|author=Alanna Kaivalya|title=Sacred Sound: Discovering the Myth and Meaning of Mantra and Kirtan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PkhAwAAQBAJ |year=2014|publisher=New World|isbn=978-1-60868-244-7|pages=3–17, 34–35}}</ref><ref name=lavezzoli371>{{cite book|author=Peter Lavezzoli|title=The Dawn of Indian Music in the West|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OSZKCXtx-wEC |year=2006|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-0-8264-1815-9 |pages=371–372 }}</ref><ref name=Brown>{{cite journal | author=Sara Black Brown | title=Krishna, Christians, and Colors: The Socially Binding Influence of Kirtan Singing at a Utah Hare Krishna Festival | journal=Ethnomusicology | publisher=University of Illinois Press | volume=58 | issue=3 | year=2014 | pages=454–480 | doi=10.5406/ethnomusicology.58.3.0454 }}</ref>

A person performing kirtan is known as a ''kirtankara'' (or ''kirtankar'').<ref>{{cite book|author=Jayant Lele|title=Tradition and Modernity in Bhakti Movements|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kLs3AAAAIAAJ |year=1981|publisher=Brill Archive|isbn=90-04-06370-6 |pages=121 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Christian Lee Novetzke|title=Religion and Public Memory: A Cultural History of Saint Namdev in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SqUdRVOv9TUC&pg=PA85 |year=2013|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-51256-5 |pages=75, 85–91 }}</ref> A Kirtan performance includes an accompaniment of regionally popular musical instruments, such as the [[harmonium]], the [[veena]] or [[ektara]] (forms of string instruments), the [[tabla]] (one-sided drums), the ''[[mrdanga]]'' or ''[[pakhawaj]]'' (two-sided drum), [[flute]] (forms of woodwind instruments), and ''[[karatalas]]'' or ''talas'' (cymbals).<ref>{{cite book|author=Manohar Laxman Varadpande|title=History of Indian Theatre|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZrjC24PuDQC&pg=PA95 |year=1987|publisher=Abhinav|isbn=978-81-7017-278-9 |pages=95–96 }}</ref> It is a major practice in Hinduism, [[Vaishnavism|Vaisnava]] devotionalism, [[Sikhism]], the [[Sant (religion)|Sant]] traditions and some forms of [[Buddhism]], as well as other religious groups. Kirtan is sometimes accompanied by story-telling and acting. Texts typically cover religious, mythological or social subjects.<ref>{{cite book | last = Varadpande | first = Manohar Laxman | title = History of Indian Theatre | publisher = Abhinav Publications | volume = 2 | year = 1992 | page = 95 | isbn = 9788170172789}}</ref>

==Etymology and nomenclature==
[[File:Mha Sankeertan.jpg|right|400px|thumb|{{center|Maha-San-Kirtan}}]]
Kirtan ({{lang-sa|कीर्तन}}) has Vedic roots and it is "telling, narrating, describing, enumerating, reporting".<ref name="Lal2009p423"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Arthur Anthony Macdonell|title=A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=laIPgMQF_XsC&pg=PA69| year=1924| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-2000-5 |page=69 }}</ref> The term is found as ''Anukirtan'' (or ''Anukrti'', ''Anukarana'', literally a "re-telling")<ref>{{cite book|author1=Sukumar Chattopadhyay|author2=Kapila Vatsyayan|title=Kalātattvakośa: Appearance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eRhQAQAAMAAJ |year=2008|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-3286-2 |pages=67–69}}</ref> in the context of [[Yajna]], wherein team recitations of dialogue-style and question-answer riddle hymns were part of the ritual or celebratory dramatic performance.<ref name="Lal2009p423"/> The Sanskrit verses in chapter 13.2 of [[Shatapatha Brahmana]] (~800–700 BCE), for example, are written in the form of a riddle play between two actors.<ref>ML Varadpande (1990), History of Indian Theatre, Volume 1, Abhinav, {{ISBN|978-8170172789}}, page 48</ref>

{{Quote|
The Vedic sacrifice (''[[yajna]]'') is presented as a kind of drama, with its actors, its dialogues, its portion to be set to music, its interludes, and its climaxes.
|[[Louis Renou]]|Vedic India<ref name=varadpande45>ML Varadpande (1990), History of Indian Theatre, Volume 1, Abhinav, {{ISBN|978-8170172789}}, pages 45–47</ref>}}

The root of kirtan is ''kirt'' ({{lang-sa|कीर्त्}}).<ref name="Rigopoulos1993p275">{{cite book|author=Antonio Rigopoulos|title=The Life And Teachings Of Sai Baba Of Shirdi |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TNohSoS0CzUC&pg=PA275 |year=1993| publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0-7914-1267-1 |page=275 }}</ref> The root is found in the [[Samhita]]s, the [[Brahmanas]] and other Vedic literature, as well as the [[Vedanga]] and [[Sutra]]s literature. ''Kirt'', according to Monier-Williams contextually means, "to mention, make mention of, tell, name, call, recite, repeat, relate, declare, communicate, commemorate, celebrate, praise, glorify".<ref>Monier William (1899), [http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/mw/0300/mw__0318.html kīrt], Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 2nd Ed., Oxford University Press</ref>

Kirtan, sometimes referred to as ''sankirtana'' (literally, "collective performance"),<ref>{{cite book|last=Nye|first=Malory|title=A Place for Our Gods |publisher=Routledge|year=1995|pages=124|isbn= 978-0-7007-0356-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PEtnlcck3l8C&pg=PA124}}</ref> is a [[Call and response (music)|call-and-response]] [[chant]]ing or musical conversation, a genre of religious performance arts that developed during India's ''[[bhakti]]'' devotional traditions. However, it is a heterogeneous practice that varies regionally according to [[Christian Lee Novetzke|Christian Novetzke]], and includes varying mixture of different musical instruments, dance, oration, theatre, audience participation and moral narration.<ref name="novetzke222">{{Cite journal |jstor = 10.1086/375037|doi = 10.1086/375037|title = Divining an Author: The Idea of Authorship in an Indian Religious Tradition|year = 2003|last1 = Novetzke|first1 = Christian Lee|journal = History of Religions|volume = 42|issue = 3|pages = 213–242|s2cid = 144687005}}</ref> In [[Maharashtra]] for example, states Novetzke, a kirtan is a call-and-response style performance, ranging from devotional dancing and singing by a lead singer and audience, to an "intricate scholarly treatise, a social commentary or a philosophical/linguistic exposition", that includes narration, allegory, humor, erudition and entertainment – all an aesthetic part of ''ranga'' (beauty, color) of the kirtan.<ref name="novetzke222"/>

Kirtan is locally known as ''Abhang'', ''Samaj Gayan'', ''Haveli Sangeet'', ''Vishnupad'', ''Harikatha''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Christian Lee Novetzke |title=Religion and Public Memory: A Cultural History of Saint Namdev in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SqUdRVOv9TUC |year=2013|publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-51256-5 |pages=275–281 }}</ref> The Vaishnava temples and monasteries of Hinduism in Assam and northeastern, called ''Satra'', have a large worship hall named k''irtan ghar'' – a name derived from their being used for congregational singing and performance arts.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ronald M. Bernier|title=Himalayan Architecture|url=https://archive.org/details/himalayanarchite00bern |url-access=registration|year=1997|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press|isbn=978-0-8386-3602-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/himalayanarchite00bern/page/28 28] }}</ref>

In regional languages, kirtan is scripted as {{lang-bn|কীর্তন}}; Nepali & {{lang-hi|कीर्तन}}; {{lang-kan|ಕೀರ್ತನೆ}}; {{lang-mr|कीर्तन}}; {{lang-pa|ਕੀਰਤਨ}}; {{lang-ta|கீர்த்தனை}}; {{lang-te|కీర్తన}}.

==Hinduism==
{{Hinduism}}
[[File:Narad - Vintage Print.jpg|thumb|left|180px|The Vedic sage [[Narada]] has been called an early Kirtana singer in the [[Puranas]].<ref name=novetzke222/>]]

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Musical recitation of hymns, mantras and the praise of deities has ancient roots in Hinduism, as evidenced by the [[Samaveda]] and other Vedic literature.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Constance Jones|author2=James D. Ryan|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC |year=2006|publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5 |pages=378 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Guy L. Beck|title=Sonic Liturgy: Ritual and Music in Hindu Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzUMCAAAQBAJ |year=2012|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=978-1-61117-108-2|pages=12–24, 30–33|chapter=Chapter 1}}</ref>

Kirtans were popularized by the [[Bhakti movement]] of medieval era Hinduism, starting with the South Indian [[Alvars]] (Vaishnavism) and [[Nayanars]] (Shaivism) around the 6th century, which spread in central, northern, western and eastern India particularly after the 12th century, as a social and congregational response to Hindu-Muslim conflicts.<ref>{{cite book|author=Guy L. Beck|title=Sonic Liturgy: Ritual and Music in Hindu Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzUMCAAAQBAJ |year=2012|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=978-1-61117-108-2|pages=32, 108–120|chapter=Chapter 1}}</ref><ref>Karen Pechelis (2011), Bhakti Traditions, in The Continuum Companion to Hindu Studies (Editors: Jessica Frazier, Gavin Flood), Bloomsbury, {{ISBN|978-0826499660}}, pages 107-121</ref> The foundations of the kirtan traditions are also found in other Hindu scriptures such as the ''[[Bhagavad-gita]]'' where [[Krishna]] describes [[Bhakti yoga|bhakti marga]] (path of loving devotion to god) as a means to [[moksha]], alongside [[Karma yoga|karma marga]] (path of action) and [[Jnana yoga|jnana marga]] (path of knowledge). References to kirtan as a musical recitation are also found in the [[Bhagavata Purana]], an important Vaishnava text.<ref>{{cite book|author=Guy L. Beck|title=Sonic Liturgy: Ritual and Music in Hindu Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzUMCAAAQBAJ |year=2012|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=978-1-61117-108-2|pages=115–118, 131–133}}</ref>

Kirtan is often practiced as a kind of theatrical folk song with call-and-response chanting or [[antiphon]]. The ancient sage [[Narada]] revered as a musical genius, is called a kirtankar in the [[Padma Purana]].<ref name=novetzke222/> The famous story of [[Prahlada]] in the ''Avatara Katha'' mentions kirtan as one of nine forms of worship, called the ''nava vidha bhakti''<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Kelkar | first1 = M. | last2 = Mahabal | first2 = K. | title = Keertanrang (Marathi: कीर्तनरंग) | publisher = Akhil Bharatiya Keertan Sanstha | location = Dadar, Mumbai, India | year = 2007 | page = 1}}</ref> along with ''shravanam'' (listening), ''smaranam'' (remembrance), ''pada sevanam'' (service), ''archanam'' (offering), ''vandanam'' (obeisance), ''dasyam'' (servitude), ''sakhyam'' (friendship) and ''atmanivedanam'' (surrender). The so-called ''Naradiya Kirtan'' divides kirtan into five parts:<ref>{{cite book | last = Koparkar | first = G. N. | title = Katha Haridasaanchi (Marathi: कथा हरिदासांची) | publisher = Keertan Mahavidyalaya Prakashan | location = [[Pune, India]] | year = 2000 | page = 2}}</ref> ''naman'' (prayers), ''purvaranga'' (spiritual lesson based on old epics), chanting, ''katha'' or ''akhyan'' (exegesis), and a final prayer for universal welfare.

===Vaishnavism===
[[File:Chaitanya sankirtan.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Some Vaishnavism sub-traditions believe in public ''kirtan'' performance, with songs and dance. A painting of a 19th-century performance by Chaitanya group in [[Bengal]].]]
[[File:Kirtan at Bishnupur.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Kirtan at front of the [[List of temples in Bishnupur|Jor Mandir Temple in Bishnupur]].]]

Kirtan as a genre of religious music has been a major part of the Vaishnavism tradition, particularly starting with the [[Alvars]] of [[Sri Vaishnavism]] sub-tradition between the 7th to 10th century CE.<ref>{{cite book|author=John A. Ramsaran|title=English and Hindi Religious Poetry: An Analogical Study|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=138eAAAAIAAJ |year=1973|publisher=BRILL Academic |isbn=90-04-03648-2 |pages=3–4 }}</ref> After the 13th-century, two subgenres of kirtan emerged in Vaishnavism, namely the ''[[Nama sankeerthanam|Nama-kirtana]]'' wherein the different names or aspects of god (a Vishnu avatar) are extolled, and the ''Lila- kirtana'' wherein the deity's life and legends are narrated.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Emmie te Nijenhuis|author-link1=Emmie te Nijenhuis|author2=Muttusvāmi Dīkṣita|author3=Sanjukta Gupta|title=Sacred songs of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AjafAAAAMAAJ |year=1987|publisher=Amadeus|isbn=978-3-905049-36-7 |pages=5–6 }}</ref>

The Marathi [[Varkari]] saint [[Namdev]] (c. 1270–1350) used the kirtan form of singing to praise the glory of god [[Vithoba]], an avatar of [[Vishnu]].<ref name=novetzke222/> Marathi kirtan is typically performed by one or two main performers, called ''kirtankar'', accompanied by [[Pump organ|harmonium]] and ''[[tabla]]''. It involves singing, acting, dancing, and story-telling.<ref>{{cite book | last = Dixit | first = Durga | title = Diamond Maharashtra Sankritikosh (Marathi: डायमंड महाराष्ट्र संस्कृतीकोश) | publisher = Diamond Publications | location = [[Pune, India]] | year = 2009 | page = 166 | isbn = 978-81-8483-080-4 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Varadpande | first = Manohar Laxman | title = History of Indian Theatre | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZrjC24PuDQC&q=keertan&pg=PA96 | publisher = Abhinav Publications | volume = 2 | year = 1992 | page = 95 | isbn = 9788170172789}}</ref> The Naradiya Kirtan popular in Maharashtra is performed by a single Kirtankar, and contains the poetry of saints of Maharashtra such as [[Dnyaneshwar]], [[Eknath]], [[Namdev]] and [[Tukaram]].Learned poets from 17th and 18th century such as Shridhar, [[Mahipati]], Moropant contributed to the development of this form of kirtan.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kosambi|first1=Meera (Editor)|last2=Ranade|first2=Ashok D. (Author)|title=Intersections : socio-cultural trends in Maharashtra|date=2000|publisher=Sangam|location=London|isbn=978-0863118241|pages=194–210|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XU8dmAiaZSgC&q=anant+phandi&pg=PA194}}</ref>' 'Jugalbandi Kirtan'' is performed by two persons, allowing question-answer, dialogue and debate. Performance requires skill in music, dance, comedy, oratory, debate, memory, general knowledge and [[Sanskrit]] literature. Training takes place at the Kirtan Kul in Sangli, the Akhil Bharatiya Kirtan Sanstha<ref>[http://www.keertansanstha.in {{in lang|mr}}]</ref> in Dadar, Mumbai, the Narad Mandir at Sadashiv Peth, [[Pune]] and the Kalidas Mahavidyalay in [[Ramtek]], [[Nagpur]] as well as at smaller schools in Goa, Beed and Ujjain.

In the early 16th century CE [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]] popularized adolescent Krishna based san-kirtana in [[Bengal]], with Hare Krishna mantra and other songs, wherein the love between Radha and Krishna was symbolized as the love between one's soul and God.<ref name="AsherTalbot2006">{{cite book|author1=Catherine B. Asher|author2=Cynthia Talbot|title=India before Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1GEWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT148 |year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-91561-8 |pages=110–112, 148–149 }}</ref>

About the same time, [[Sankardev|Shankaradeva]] in [[Assam]] inspired the [[Ekasarana Dharma]] bhakti movement that emphasized [[Advaita Vedanta]] philosophy within the framework of [[Bhagavata Purana]] and Vaishnavism.<ref>{{cite book|author=Kaliram Medhi|title=Studies in the Vaiṣṇava Literature & Culture of Assam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HeB83Pc8hCAC |year=1978|publisher=Assam Sahitya Sabha |pages=6, 43 }}</ref> Shankaradeva helped establish ''Sattras'' (Hindu temples and monasteries) with ''kirtan-ghar'' (also called ''[[Namghar]]''), for singing and dramatic performance of Krishna-related theosophy.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ronald M. Bernier|title=Himalayan Architecture|url=https://archive.org/details/himalayanarchite00bern |url-access=registration|year=1997|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press|isbn=978-0-8386-3602-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/himalayanarchite00bern/page/27 27]–28 }}</ref>

In [[Vrindavan]] of [[Braj]] region, a kirtan accords the [[Hindustani classical music]]. The acharya [[Vallabha]] launched a kirtan singing devotional movement around the stories of baby Krishna and his early childhood, in early 16th century.<ref name="AsherTalbot2006"/> "Samaj-Gayan" is the [[Radha]]-centered [[Radha-vallabha|Radha-vallabha Sampradaya]]'s collective style of hymn singing by the Hindustani classical forms "[[dhrupad]]" and "[[dhamar (music)|dhamar]]".<ref>{{cite book |surname=Beck |given=Guy L. |chapter=Krishna as Loving Husband of God: The Alternative Krishnology of the Rādhāvallabha Sampradaya |page=67 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=0SJ73GHSCF8C&pg=PA67 |title=Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity |url= {{Google books|0SJ73GHSCF8C|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |editor= Guy L. Beck |place=Albany, NY |publisher=SUNY Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7914-6415-1}}</ref>

===Carnatic traditions===
In Andhra Pradesh, the compositions of [[Tallapaka Annamacharya]], a 14th-century mystic, represent the earliest known music called ''sankirtana''. He wrote in praise of [[Lord Venkateswara]], the deity of Seven Hills in [[Tirumala]], where unbroken worship has been offered for over twelve centuries at the [[Tirumala Venkateswara Temple]].

Annamcharya is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Venkateswara's sword.<ref>[http://www.svasa.org/annamacharya1.html SVSA]-2008/07/21</ref> During his long and prolific career, he reputedly composed and sang 32,000 Sankirtanas and 12 Shatakas (sets of hundred verses). His works were in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] and [[Sanskrit]].

===Bhajan versus Kirtan===
A ''Kirtan'' and a ''[[Bhajan]]'' are closely related, with both sharing common aims, subjects, musical themes and being devotional performance arts. A ''Bhajan'' is more free form, can be singular melody that is performed by a single singer with or without one and more musical instruments. ''Kirtan'', in contrast, differs in being a more structured team performance, typically with a [[Call and response (music)|call and response]] musical structure, similar to an intimate conversation or gentle sharing of ideas, and it includes two or more musical instruments,<ref name="lavezzoli371"/><ref name=Brown/> with roots in the [[Sanskrit prosody|prosody]] principles of the Vedic era.<ref>{{cite book|author=Alanna Kaivalya|title=Sacred Sound: Discovering the Myth and Meaning of Mantra and Kirtan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PkhAwAAQBAJ |year=2014|publisher=New World |isbn=978-1-60868-244-7 |pages=117–122 }}</ref>

Many ''Kirtan'' are structured for more audience participation, where the singer calls a spiritual chant, a hymn or a devotional theme such as from [[Vaishnavism]], the audience then responds back by repeating the chant or by chanting back a reply of their shared beliefs.<ref name="Alanna Kaivalya 2014 3–17, 34–35"/><ref name="Sara Brown 2012 pages 25-26"/>

==In Sikhism==
{{Sikh practices}}
{{Main|Shabad kirtan}}

{{Listen
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| title = Kirtan in Punjabi
| description = [[Sikh]] kirtan in traditional [[raga]].
| format = [[Ogg]]
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''Kirtan'' refers to devotional singing in Sikhism.<ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair|title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ |year=2013|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |pages=24 }}</ref> It is typically performed at [[Gurdwaras]] (Sikh temples). Sikh scriptures and legends are usually recited in a song, to a certain ''[[raga]]'' and accompanied with musical instruments. The Gurus themselves created numerous musical instruments including the [[Dilruba]], the [[Sarangi]], the [[Esraj]] and a modification of the [[Pakhawaj]] creating an early form of the [[Tabla]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Sikh sacred music|date=1967|publisher=Sikh Sacred Music Society|page=63|location=Oxon}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Narayan|first1=Badri|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration|date=2017|publisher=Routledge|page=75|edition=First}}</ref>

A ''Shabad Kirtan'' refers to the musical recitation of the [[Guru Granth Sahib]], the primary scripture in the Sikhism tradition which is arranged according to ''[[raga]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Knut A. Jacobsen|author2=Kristina Myrvold|title=Sikhs Across Borders: Transnational Practices of European Sikhs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HtrWKPWBEXEC |year=2012|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-7087-3 |page=113 }}</ref> The ''Shabad Kirtan'' can be listened to silently or sung along with the gathered congregation.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Anand|first1=Balwant|title=Guru Nanak His Life was his Message: a Biography|date=1983|publisher=Guru Nanak Foundation|page=224}}</ref><ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112"/>

''Kirtan'' in Sikh history has been the musical analog of ''Kathas'' recitation, both preferably performed by ''ragi jatha'', or professional trained performers.<ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112">{{cite book|author1=Knut A. Jacobsen|author2=Kristina Myrvold|title=Sikhs Across Borders: Transnational Practices of European Sikhs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HtrWKPWBEXEC |year=2012|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-7087-3 |pages=112–114 }}</ref> A Sikh Kirtan is a religious, aesthetic and social event, usually held in a congregational setting on Sundays or over certain festivals to honor the historical Gurus, but major temples in the Sikh tradition recite ''Kirtan'' every day as a mark of daily [[bhakti]] (devotional remembrance) of God's name.<ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112"/> The congregational setting is called a ''Sangat'' or ''Satsang'', a word that in ancient Indian texts means "like minded individuals, or fellow travelers on a spiritual journey".<ref>{{cite book|author=Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair|title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ |year=2013|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |pages=30–31 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last =Frisk | first =Liselotte | year =2002 | title =The Satsang Network | journal =Nova Religio|volume= 6| issue= 1| pages= 64–85 | doi=10.1525/nr.2002.6.1.64| url =http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-31618 }}</ref>

==In Buddhism==
According to Guy Beck, the music tradition did not develop in early Buddhism possibly because it was considered sensual and inconsistent with its core teachings.<ref name=guybeck257/> Later Buddhism did develop monastic chanting of the canonical literature, particularly in the ritualistic Vajrayana and other Mahayana traditions.<ref name=guybeck257>{{cite book|author=Guy Beck |editor=Bruno Nettl |editor-link=Bruno Nettl |display-editors=etal |title=[[The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music]]|chapter=South Asia, the Indian subcontinent|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOlNv8MAXIEC&pg=PA257 |year=1998| publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-8240-4946-1 |pages=257 }}</ref> Chants, songs and plays about the life of the Buddha by the Buddhists of [[Bengal]] were called ''Buddha-samkirtan''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Sukomal Chaudhuri|title=Contemporary Buddhism in Bangladesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NVoEAAAAYAAJ |year=1982|publisher=Atisha Memorial|pages=81 }}</ref>

==In the west==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| width1 = 220
| width2 = 98
| footer = A ISKCON ''kirtan'' performance in Moscow.
| image2 = Russian Hare Krishna with a plate of prasadam.jpg
| image1 = Russian Hare Krishna devotees on Harinam.jpg
}}
[[Paramahansa Yogananda]], a Bengali saint was an early proponent of kirtan in the west, chanting [[Guru Nanak Dev]]'s ''Hey Hari Sundara'' ("Oh God Beautiful") with 3,000 people at [[Carnegie Hall]] in 1923.<ref>{{cite book|last=Yogananda|first=Paramhansa|title=Autobiography of a Yogi|publisher=BiblioBazaar, LLC|year=2007|pages=526–527|isbn=978-1-4264-2415-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xuwqcgWdZF4C&pg=PA526}}</ref> Kirtan became more common with the spread of [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism]] by the [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness]]'s (ISKCON) founder [[A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]] in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jackson|first=Carl T.|title=Vedanta for the West|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=1994|page=134|isbn=0-253-33098-X}}</ref>

Kirtan singers have appeared in the West, such as [[Krishna Das (singer)|Krishna Das]], [[Bhagavan Das (yogi)|Bhagavan Das]], [[Wah! (American band)|Wah!]] and [[Jai Uttal]] as well as [[Snatam Kaur]], [[Lokah Music]], [[Deva Premal]], [[Jim Gelcer]], [[Jyoshna]], [[Aindra Das]], [[Gina Sala']], and [[Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits]]. Yoga centers report an increase in attendance at kirtan; according to ''Pure Music''’s Frank Goodman in conversation with [[Krishna Das (singer)|Krishna Das]] in 2006, kirtan has taken on a wider popularity.<ref name="Puremusic">{{cite journal|last=Goodman|first=Frank|date=January 2006|title=Interview with Krishna Das|journal=Puremusic|issue=61|url=http://www.puremusic.com/pdf/krishnadas.pdf|access-date=2014-01-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/fashion/05fitness-01.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=kirtan&st=cse
|title=Chanting Is an Exercise in Body and Spirit |work=The New York Times
|access-date=2009-04-21| first=Sara| last=Eckel| date=2009-03-05}}</ref>

There are also Kirtan singers in the west who sing authentic traditional Indian style Kirtans such as [http://www.kaminimusic.com Kamini Natarajan] and [http://www.shebrings.com/ Sheela Bringi].

In the United States case law, the term ''sankirtana'' has also been used to refer to evangelical activities of ISKCON.<ref>Supreme Court of California, opinion in ISKCON v. City of Los Angeles, pages 4, 7 [http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2014/08/20/12-56621.pdf online]</ref> ISKCON had sought the right to perform ''sankirtana'' in California airports such as in Los Angeles. The court ruled that while ISKCON has a constitutional rights of protected speech, the Los Angeles airport also has a right to forbid any form of solicitation, out of "a legitimate interest in controlling pedestrian congestion and reducing the risk of fraud and duress attendant to repetitive, in-person solicitation of funds" by all groups including ISKCON.<ref>Supreme Court of California, opinion in ISKCON v. City of Los Angeles, pages 2, 12-21 [http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2014/08/20/12-56621.pdf online]</ref>

==Given name==
The male given name Kirtan or Keerthan is used in South India for females as well, particularly in [[Telangana]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Karnataka]], [[Kerala]] and [[Tamil Nadu]].{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

==See also==

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Adi Shankara]]
* [[Ananda Marga]]
* [[Bhakti]]
* [[Bhakti movement]]
* [[Bhakti yoga]]
* [[Bhajan]]
* [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]]
* [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism]]
* [[Gurbani]]
* [[Hindustani language]]
* [[Historical Vedic religion]]
* [[Indo-Aryan languages]]
* [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness]]
** [[Hare Krishna (mantra)]]
* [[:Category:Kirtan performers]]
* [[Nama sankeerthanam]]
* [[Raga]]
* [[Sikh music]]
* [[Substratum in Vedic Sanskrit]]
* [[Vedic Sanskrit]]
* [[Vedic chant]]
* [[Vedic period]]
{{Div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://www.jstor.org/stable/40871929 The Braj Ras Lila], Darius Swann (1975)
*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/kirtans-call-and-response-chanting-draws-a-growing-number-of-washingtonians/2013/01/08/ef2cc87a-59a9-11e2-88d0-c4cf65c3ad15_story.html Kirtan’s call-and-response chanting draws a growing number of Washingtonians] The Washington Post, Michelle Boorstein (2013)
*[http://www.shantalamusic.com/music/ Kirtan samples: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism], Audio files, Shantala Music
*[http://iskcon.org/ ISCON] - The Hare Krishna Movement
*[http://www.sikhroots.com/ Sikh Gurbani Kirtan] - Exclusive recordings
*[http://www.baani.net/ Sikh Kirtan] - Live and recorded
*[http://www.kirtansongs.com/ KirtanSongs] - Free archive of kirtan sheet music and accompanying audio tracks
*[https://jaibhole.co.in/bhajan/Kirtan-Ki-Hai-Raat-Baba-Aaj-Thane-Aano-Hai-Lyrics Kirtan Ki Hai Raat Baba Aaj Thane Aano Hai] - Beautiful Bhajan Kirtan Ki Hai Raat Baba Aaj Thane Aano Hai Lyrics

{{Worship in Hinduism}}
{{Sikhism}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kirtan| ]]
[[Category:Hindu prayer and meditation]]
[[Category:Bhakti movement]]
[[Category:Sikh kirtan| ]]
[[Category:Indian folk music]]
[[Category:Indian feminine given names]]
[[Category:Hindu music]]
[[Category:Performing arts in India]]
[[Category:Puja (Hinduism)]]
[[Category:Music of Bengal]]
[[Category:Indian styles of music]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:08, 19 April 2026
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	[[file:Photograph of Bhai Jawala Singh Ragi playing accordion (vaaja), Bhai Gurcharn Singh on Jori, and Bhai Avtar Singh on Taus at Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, Lahore, ca.1935.jpg\|thumb\|Bhai Jawala Singh Ragi playing [[Indian harmonium\|harmonium]], Bhai Gurcharn Singh on [[Jori (instrument)\|Jori]], and Bhai Avtar Singh on [[Taus (instrument)\|Taus]] at [[Gurdwara Dera Sahib\|Gurdwara Dehra Sahib]], [[Lahore]], 1935]]		[[file:Photograph of Bhai Jawala Singh Ragi playing accordion (vaaja), Bhai Gurcharn Singh on Jori, and Bhai Avtar Singh on Taus at Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, Lahore, ca.1935.jpg\|thumb\|Bhai Jawala Singh Ragi playing [[Indian harmonium\|harmonium]], Bhai Gurcharn Singh on [[Jori (instrument)\|Jori]], and Bhai Avtar Singh on [[Taus (instrument)\|Taus]] at [[Gurdwara Dera Sahib\|Gurdwara Dehra Sahib]], [[Lahore]], 1935]]

	''Kirtan'' ([[Gurmukhi]]: ਕੀਰਤਨ ''Kīratana'') refers to devotional singing in [[Sikhism]].<ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112"/><ref>{{cite book\|author=Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair\|title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ \|year=2013\|publisher=A&C Black\|isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 \|pages=24}}</ref> It is typically performed at [[Gurdwaras]] (Sikh temples). Sikh scriptures and legends are usually recited in a song, to a certain ''[[raga]]'' and accompanied with musical instruments. The Gurus themselves created numerous musical instruments including the [[Taus (instrument)\|Taus]], the [[Sarangi]], the [[Sarinda (instrument)\|Saranda]] and a modification of the [[Pakhawaj]] (called [[Jori (instrument)\|Jori]]) creating an early form of the [[Tabla]].<ref>{{cite book\|title=Sikh sacred music\|date=1967\|publisher=Sikh Sacred Music Society\|page=63\|location=Oxon}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Narayan\|first1=Badri\|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration\|date=2017\|publisher=Routledge\|page=75\|edition=First}}</ref>		''Kirtan'' ([[Gurmukhi]]: ਕੀਰਤਨ ''Kīratana'') refers to devotional singing in both Hinduism and [[Sikhism]].<ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112"/><ref>{{cite book\|author=Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair\|title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ \|year=2013\|publisher=A&C Black\|isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 \|pages=24}}</ref> It is typically performed at [[Gurdwaras]] (Sikh temples). Sikh scriptures and legends are usually recited in a song, to a certain ''[[raga]]'' and accompanied with musical instruments. The Gurus themselves created numerous musical instruments including the [[Taus (instrument)\|Taus]], the [[Sarangi]], the [[Sarinda (instrument)\|Saranda]] and a modification of the [[Pakhawaj]] (called [[Jori (instrument)\|Jori]]) creating an early form of the [[Tabla]].<ref>{{cite book\|title=Sikh sacred music\|date=1967\|publisher=Sikh Sacred Music Society\|page=63\|location=Oxon}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Narayan\|first1=Badri\|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration\|date=2017\|publisher=Routledge\|page=75\|edition=First}}</ref>

	A ''Shabad Kirtan'' refers to the musical recitation of the [[Guru Granth Sahib]], the primary scripture in the Sikhism tradition which is arranged according to ''[[raga]]''.<ref>{{cite book\|author1=Knut A. Jacobsen\|author2=Kristina Myrvold\|title=Sikhs Across Borders: Transnational Practices of European Sikhs\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HtrWKPWBEXEC \|year=2012\|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic \|isbn=978-1-4411-7087-3 \|page=113}}</ref> ''Shabad Kirtan'' can be listened to silently or sung along with the gathered congregation.<ref>{{cite book\|last1=Anand\|first1=Balwant\|title=Guru Nanak His Life was his Message: a Biography\|date=1983\|publisher=Guru Nanak Foundation\|page=224}}</ref><ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112" />		A ''Shabad Kirtan'' refers to the musical recitation of the [[Guru Granth Sahib]], the primary scripture in the Sikhism tradition which is arranged according to ''[[raga]]''.<ref>{{cite book\|author1=Knut A. Jacobsen\|author2=Kristina Myrvold\|title=Sikhs Across Borders: Transnational Practices of European Sikhs\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HtrWKPWBEXEC \|year=2012\|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic \|isbn=978-1-4411-7087-3 \|page=113}}</ref> ''Shabad Kirtan'' can be listened to silently or sung along with the gathered congregation.<ref>{{cite book\|last1=Anand\|first1=Balwant\|title=Guru Nanak His Life was his Message: a Biography\|date=1983\|publisher=Guru Nanak Foundation\|page=224}}</ref><ref name="JacobsenMyrvold2012p112" />

Kirtan - Revision history

GiseleStead: expanded content

CaseyBroderick at 16:06, 25 March 2026

>ಮಲ್ನಾಡಾಚ್ ಕೊಂಕ್ಣೊ: Fixed obsolete html tag Lint errors