‘Languriya’ songs sung by the devotees of Kela Devi are very popular in which…

Concept

In Rajasthan's folk culture, a devotional song genre is historically anchored to the specific temple and deity whose devotees composed and popularised it — and therefore to the geographic region surrounding that temple's principal seat.

Application

Kela Devi (also spelled Kaila Devi), a form of goddess Durga, has her principal hilltop temple near the town of Karauli, in Karauli district in eastern Rajasthan. Each year during the Chaitra fair (mela) held at this temple, devotees traditionally sing Languriya songs in her honour. This temple-fair association is why Languriya songs are most popular in the Karauli region.

Cross-check

• Jaisalmer, in the western Thar Desert, was the seat of the Bhati Rajput dynasty and has its own folk-song identity built around styles such as Maand — it carries no Kela Devi association.

• Dholpur, in the eastern Chambal region, is historically known for its red-sandstone quarries and Chambal-ravine geography, with a distinct local folk repertoire of its own.

• Mewar, centred on Udaipur and Chittorgarh, was the seat of the Sisodia Rajput dynasty and is associated with its own devotional/folk forms such as Gangaur and Gawari songs.

None of the other three regions carries the Kela Devi temple-fair association, which confirms Karauli as the region where Languriya songs are popular.