Oral Storytelling Traditions: Civilisations and Their Torchbearers
 | |
| Title | Oral Storytelling Traditions: Civilisations and Their Torchbearers |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Raj Bijalwan |
| Platform | Bharatiya Jnana Sarita |
| Categories | History & Civilization/Itihāsa & Sabhyatā |
| Year | 2026 |
| Type of Article | Repurposed Advanced |
| Difficulty Level | Advanced |
| +-Summary |
|---|
As the torchbearers of civilisations, the oral storytelling tradition has managed to keep alive the legacies, histories and genealogies. Despite… As the torchbearers of civilisations, the oral storytelling tradition has managed to keep alive the legacies, histories and genealogies. Despite the inherent fluidity of storytelling, the core has remained rooted in the ability to keep the story alive. Bhārata has been gifted with diverse oral storytelling traditions. From the folk traditions of Andhra Pradesh to the bardic traditions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, the aim has been to convey stories effectively and creatively. The Katha tradition, having originated from Ṛṣi Nārada, emphasises the singing and dancing in order to narrate the līlās of Bhagavāna Viṣṇu. The oral storytelling traditions add to the timeless richness of the civilisation.
|
Introduction
Storytelling unravels an age-old tradition of preserving histories, legacies, and culture. Storytelling acts as the keeper of knowledge and civilisation. Through the power of imagination, storytelling enables expression of human qualities in various forms. As the keeper of stories, legacy, and heritage, this art is a torch bearer of civilisations. This has been endorsed by them as a means to protect and preserve their culture, legacies, and genealogies. Thus, storytelling morphs from just words, stories, and tales into a living, breathing account of human civilisation through art forms.
Folklore allows a fluidity that makes variation in style, content, and even quality obvious with each variation of its setting and the storytellers. This fluidity also enables dependence on memorization, technique and flair. Bhārata’s diversity adds another level of variation to the storytelling traditions. The Indic idea behind storytelling largely relates to conveying the stories from purāṇas, Rāmāyaṇa, or Mahābhārata in an artistic way.
Bhārata’s storytelling traditions are rooted in the sacred and religious characteristics of civilisation. Similarly, even theology and aesthetics are inseparable. Bharata Muni, Abhinavagupta, and others explore upadēśa as the primary motive behind dramas and kāvya being more convincing for instructions regarding ethics or dharma.
Purpose and Scope
The article presents the oral storytelling traditions of Bhārata. It brings into light the role played by these traditions in preserving stories, folk traditions and at the same time, ensuring that the transmission of stories takes place in a proper way. The article relates to the storytelling traditions in other civilisations and explores the variations that Bhārata’s diversity presents. The article furthers the need to preserve the traditions in order to ensure that the stories, customs are passed down from one generation to the other smoothly.
[COLLPASE] Historical Background
Storytelling is an art form that uses imagination and shows basic human nature in different forms. It stems from the need to preserve legacy, heritage and history.This tradition binds the world with early civilisations by preserving and protecting their histories.
In West Africa, the griots, troubadour-historians, have been preserving their heritage by travelling and narrating stories from place to place. They play the lute and narrate historical accounts and rituals. Besides being storytellers, the griots have also played the role of diplomats and advisors [1]. Similar tradition is witnessed in Ireland where the seanchai are the keepers of tales and stories. The seanchai share the account of Gaelic culture, fairy tales, etc. Even today, this tradition is passed down orally through lores [2]. The Jewish Passover is another custom highlighting storytelling. On the night of Passover seder, the elders narrate the accounts of the Jewish exodus from Egypt from slavery and achieving liberation. This not only acts as a practice of remembrance but also keeps the tradition of storytelling alive [3]. A similar tradition is also common in native American communities. The Choctaw tribe uses storytelling to educate the young ones about their culture. They use animals as characters in their stories.
Fluidity is inherent to the storytelling tradition, shifts in content, context, and circumstances generate a shift in the storytellers and their art. Bhārata has always had diverse storytelling tradition but all of them rooted in the ancient tradition of Śruti and Smṛti [4]. Their motive has been to project accounts and episodes from Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa, and the Purāṇas to the masses in a creative way. Storytelling in Bhārata has been a constantly refined art form while maintaining its sacredness.
‘Folk’ Traditions
In states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the oral storytelling tradition of Burra-kathā is prevalent. Performers belonging to Telaga and Muthārasī caste, also known as Śārada Kandru (worshippers of Mā Śārada), adopt narrative styles to to convey stories from purāṇas and local legends while carrying a hollow-stringed instrument. This art form was banned during Mughal rule for being used to further political ideas and awareness. In Tamil Nadu, Villuppāṭṭu is a similar narrative folk style tradition. Performers, called the Pulāvaras (Tamil word for poets), narrate stories from heroic ballads and legends, holding a single bow-like stringed instrument. They enjoy the patronage as they perform on stage in temples and on special occasions
Bardic Traditions
Bardic traditions have been a part of the country’s storytelling culture. Across Bhārata, there are numerous forms still alive and in practice. Milton Singer’s anthropology, ‘Traditional India: Structure and Change’, gives an insight into the lives of Vahīvancā Bāroṭs. The Bhāṭs and Cāraṇs of Gujarat have been transmitting legacy by narrating stories, performing ballads and composing poetries and thereby preserve jñāna and itihāsa. The Bhāṭs get their name from Saṃskṛta translation, meaning scholar or lord while by Cāraṇs, it meant feet of devatā, or the sons and daughters of devī-devatās [5]. They have for long enjoyed the patronage of Sanātana Rājās, who would in turn perform for them on special occasions. By the use of gestures, songs, they performed long poems called rāsos, couplets (duhās) and epics and Purāṇas in the form of ballads. The Bhāṭs composed poetry in Brajabhāṣā while Cāraṇs composed in a Hiṃdī dialect, Ḍingaḷ.
Dance Drama
Dance dramas have existed in the country varying in costume, content, and style but they remain similar at the core. Dance drama forms like Panḍavānī (songs and stories of Panḍavās) have been practiced in Chattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh; Yakṣagāna, an oral semi classical theatrical drama from Karnataka and Keralam; Nāṅṅiār Kūttu and Kūḍiyāṭṭam from Keralam embody elements from Tamil Nadu's Kūttu and Terukkūttu.
Puppetry is also commonly used in the art of storytelling. Kathakaḷī and its glove-puppetry counterpart Pāvakathakaḷī from Keralam; string puppetry from Odisha, Sakhī Kandhei; shadow puppetries like Rāvaṇa Chāyā from Odisha, Tōlu Bommalāṭa from Andhra Pradesh, Togalu Gombeyāṭa from Karnataka, and many others from Keralam, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have remained a medium of oral storytelling. Phaḍ and Kāvaḍa have remained a popular storytelling tradition from Rajasthan. By carrying Phaḍ (narrative scroll), Kāvaḍa (wooden box) and the paintings of devī-devatās around, the stories are narrated keeping the bard tradition alive.
Kathā tradition, having originated from Ṛṣi Nārada, involves Harikathā and Harisankīrtana. The art encompasses the singing of the names, līlās, and forms of Bhagavān Viṣṇu. With the belief that listening to Harikathā helps in getting rid of Kaliyuga’s sins, Harisankīrtana has led the people to bhakti mārga. Padmapurāṇa invokes an account in which Bhagavān Mahaviṣṇu informs Nārada about his residence.
नाहं वसामि वैकुण्ठे योगिनां हृदये न च |
मद्भक्ता यत्र गायन्ति तत्र तिष्ठामि नारद || (पद्मपुराण, ६.९२.२१–२२)
nāhaṃ vasāmi vaikuṃṭhe yogināṃ hṛdaye na ca
madbhaktā yatra gāyaṃti tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada | (Padmapurāṇa, 6.92.21-22) [6]
हे नारद! मैं न तो बैकुंठ में ही रहता हूँ और न योगियों के हृदय में ही रहता हूँ। मैं तो वहीं रहता हूँ, जहाँ प्रेमाकुल होकर मेरे भक्त मेरे नाम का कीर्तन किया करते हैं।
Neither do I reside in Vaikuṇṭha nor in the hearts of the yogīs, but I dwell where my devotees sing my name, O Nārada! [6]
As a one-person theatrical artform, Harikathā entails accounts of Bhagavān Viṣṇu’s līlās and amalgamates it into contemporary moral lessons. A single performer takes over all the roles and presents the stories through singing, poetry, and dance by assimilating humour, bhakti, and melody. Nirūpaṇa is the text used in Harikathā. It is the manuscript that entails acts, songs and prose. Sītā Kalyāṇam, Vibhīṣaṇa Śaraṇāgati, Rukmiṇī Kalyāṇam, Śrīrāma Janana, Pārvatī Kalyāṇam, Uṣāpariṇayam, Ahalyā Śāpavimōcanam, Garuḍagarva haraṇa, etc., all of which are adaptations from Kīrtana Taraṅgiṇī, a Marāthī text.
Harikathā’s kathākāra should have good subject knowledge, ready wit, moral character, and honesty. The scope of knowledge should range from fine arts to narrative style and the talent to present multiple roles successfully. A good kathākāra ought to be proficient in philosophical doctrines, history, and socio-political domains so as to be able to transmit knowledge to the masses in easily understandable words.
Evolution of Harikathā
Harikathā has evolved through the medieval period. Bhakti saint-poets have played a crucial role in it by taking the bhakti mārga to people from all walks of life via the art of storytelling. Marāṭhī saint-poets like Jñāneśvara, Nāmdeva, Tukārāma, and Rāmdāsa along with Purandara dāsa from Karṇāṭaka led the propagation of this art in some form. Śivājī Mahārāja is believed to have been a patron of Harikathā and performed Harikathā himself.
Kālakṣēpa was a version of Harikathā had been performing in Southern India much before the Marāṭhā rulers patronised it. Kālakṣēpa involved purāṇa pathana, kathāprasaṅga, upanyāsa, and pravacana interwoven with bhakti, pāda, and Karṇāṭaka saṅgītam in various languages. The Thanjavur kathā tradition has been deeply impacted by the Marāṭhā version of kathā tradition. Bhāgavatars, who performed the kathās inculcated compositions from Saṃskṛta, Telugu, Kannaḍa, and Marāṭhī, as per the audiences.
The storytelling tradition of Bhārata is vibrant and rich. It also gives an insight into the hearts and minds of the people. The storytelling tradition has managed to survive despite colonialism and westernization. However, they continue to lack general endorsements.
Efforts are being made to preserve the art of storytelling traditions. Pāvakathakalī was revived with the efforts of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, the director of the Sangeet Natak Akademi in the 1940s. Recently, Harikathā art has been endorsed through the National Education Policy. Thus, efforts are underway to ensure that storytelling is easily available to the public in order to preserve and protect the culture, heritage, legacy, and genealogies through spoken words.
Conclusion
Storytelling acts as a doorway into the minds and hearts of the people. The tradition of storytelling has stood by the storms of colonialism and westernisation, while these factors have weakened bardic traditions worldwide. However, in Bhārata, especially in Western and Northern parts, the bardic communities have remained a part of the weddings and religious ceremonies. While some traditions have stood by the test of time, others fight for recognition. Today, these artforms don't receive the endorsement they often deserve. The Bhāratīya civilisation has a rich and diverse tradition of storytelling that projects the emotions of the heart and the thoughts of the mind firmly. This echoes the tradition of Śruti and Smṛti [4].
Despite colonisation and westernisation, Bhārata's storytelling continues to empower its culture with the aim to preserve the legacy and keep the traditions alive. The storytelling traditions provide a glimpse into the thought process and emotions of people. The revived urge to look back at the stories and gain wisdom aims to restore storytelling traditions.
References:
Britannica Editors. "griot". Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Nov. 2014, https://www.britannica.com/art/griot. Accessed 15 May 2026.
Ltd, M. I. J. (2024, August 16). Stories, storytelling and Seanchaí in Ireland. My Irish Jeweler. https://www.myirishjeweler.com/eu/blog/stories-storytelling-and-seanchai-in-ireland/?srsltid=AfmBOoru0Y6lVI9QW_1CYbzzP3Xgn2BZSb2Mx6uyygGFwDm2QfO_sufP
Author, C. (2026, March 31). What 100 Jewish stories taught me about the meaning of Passover. eJewishPhilanthropy. https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/what-100-jewish-stories-taught-me-about-the-meaning-of-passover/
Mendiratta, H. (2025b, March 1). Shruti and Smriti Scriptures (March 2025) – Hawan.net. https://hawan.net/?p=1115
Rewers, A. (2016). The Bardic Tradition in Hinduism. Research Gate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332031727_The_Bardic_Tradition_in_Hinduism
Shoppe, D. (2017b, July 14). Sloka Naham Vasami Vaikunthe with meaning. Devshoppe. https://www.devshoppe.com/blogs/articles/sloka-naham-vasami-vaikunthe-with-meaning?srsltid=AfmBOorYD-mCM-TOa7k_tu9JS6q6kYVx-czhfz_7pQuwKsV8IhxCOtrV
.
Original Article Information
- Original Article Link: https://www.brhat.in/dhiti/oralstorytellingtraditions
- Original Article Details: A rounded coverage of the oral storytelling traditions that prevail among old cultures around the world, and especially in India.