A musical and architectural journey
Pilgrims from the past, travellers of the spirit, making their way through mountains,
deserts and oceans, brought to civilisation a sense of the sacred in daily life.
Today, facing a confusing world based only on materialistic values, it is through
art and music that one can relate to a deep feeling of ecstasy - an ecstasy floating
between fulfilment and the longing of the beloved, as declaimed by the Sufi poets.
The majestic architecture of the Ahhichatragarh and Mehrangarh Forts seem to be the most appropriate places in India to taste a spirit of music, dance and poetry, steeped
in a sense of beauty, fulfilment and eternity.
Because of its religious foundations going back to the Vedas and because of its ability to preserve its traditions, India has a responsibility not only to continue to pass on its own heritage but also to greet other traditions of a world fighting for recognition.
The World Sufi Spirit Festival of Nagaur and Jodhpur, unique in India, will welcome the most beautiful of sacred traditions from the Orient, the East and Africa, while showing off the wealth of Rajasthan’s traditional heritage, a heritage at the crossroads of Indian, Afghan, Moghol, Arab and Persian civilisations, between Hinduism and Sufi Islam.
Thus these two prestigious sites, through their history and architectural refinement, will open the door to a musical voyage of initiation into another world. The intimate setting of Ahhichatragarh Fort in Nagaur, this small town in the heart of rural Rajasthan, offers a knowledgeable and well-travelled public arriving from the four corners of the world, the chance to taste the rarity of Indian music and to celebrate a full moon that will cast its immaculate white light onto these ancient walls.
Equally lit, by the flickering incandescence of a thousand and one candles, the audience will have the chance to discover magnificent choreographed musical shows created especially for this venue, of which every stone contains the memory of a past that dates back to the 4th century, when the snake-worshiping Nagavanshi Kings built the foundation stones of the Ahhichatragarh Fort (the word ‘Ahhichatragarh’ means cobra-hood).
The current fort and the town of Nagaur came into existence in the 12th century through the hand of Punjabi Mohammad Bahalin. The great Sufi Hamid al-din Chishti established his school in Nagaur in the 12th century before Rao Maldeo of the Rathore Rajputs took possession of the town in 1530. Later, in 1570, the great Akbar, furtively passed by the fort of Nagaur where his garden, the Sheesh Mahal, still exists.
This roaming festival will then take us off towards the magical blue city of Jodhpur, where the musical journey will continue with two days of music and dance, and there too you will be able to discover the fundamental connection between the great choreographic traditions of India and Rajasthan and those of Asia and Africa.
Open to all and everyone, the Mehrangarh Fort, protected by its walls around which the twisting alleyways of a veritable architectural oasis intertwine, will bring you, as in Nagaur, Sufi traditions, this year from the Indian Ocean with the rituals of Mayotte and of famous Zanzibar. Prepare yourself for poets and singers from Iran, drums from deepest Africa, singing from the nomadic steppes of Mongolia, Jew’s harps from China, Sufi singing and dances from the Nile. At the same time, tribute will be paid to Rajasthan, with a series of creations, including the 1925 film “Prem Sanyas”, set to music by the Divana ensemble, Darbar Morchang Journey or the famous “Desert Slide” by Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt with the greatest Manganiyars from Jaisalmer and a selection of talented young Langas singers and Manganiyars, from 7 to 14 years of age.
This unique festival will show how the traditional musician conveys the knowledge he has received from another world. His voice and his musical skill are a gift of God. The artist, devoted to the community, keeps alive the founding tales, bearing witness to the link that binds nature and the deity, reciting a family genealogy and unveiling our hidden emotions.
Alain Weber
Artistic director
Because of its religious foundations going back to the Vedas and because of its ability to preserve its traditions, India has a responsibility not only to continue to pass on its own heritage but also to greet other traditions of a world fighting for recognition.
The World Sufi Spirit Festival of Nagaur and Jodhpur, unique in India, will welcome the most beautiful of sacred traditions from the Orient, the East and Africa, while showing off the wealth of Rajasthan’s traditional heritage, a heritage at the crossroads of Indian, Afghan, Moghol, Arab and Persian civilisations, between Hinduism and Sufi Islam.
Thus these two prestigious sites, through their history and architectural refinement, will open the door to a musical voyage of initiation into another world. The intimate setting of Ahhichatragarh Fort in Nagaur, this small town in the heart of rural Rajasthan, offers a knowledgeable and well-travelled public arriving from the four corners of the world, the chance to taste the rarity of Indian music and to celebrate a full moon that will cast its immaculate white light onto these ancient walls.
Equally lit, by the flickering incandescence of a thousand and one candles, the audience will have the chance to discover magnificent choreographed musical shows created especially for this venue, of which every stone contains the memory of a past that dates back to the 4th century, when the snake-worshiping Nagavanshi Kings built the foundation stones of the Ahhichatragarh Fort (the word ‘Ahhichatragarh’ means cobra-hood).
“The moon is in the sky not in the water”
Jalaluddin Rumi
The current fort and the town of Nagaur came into existence in the 12th century through the hand of Punjabi Mohammad Bahalin. The great Sufi Hamid al-din Chishti established his school in Nagaur in the 12th century before Rao Maldeo of the Rathore Rajputs took possession of the town in 1530. Later, in 1570, the great Akbar, furtively passed by the fort of Nagaur where his garden, the Sheesh Mahal, still exists.
This roaming festival will then take us off towards the magical blue city of Jodhpur, where the musical journey will continue with two days of music and dance, and there too you will be able to discover the fundamental connection between the great choreographic traditions of India and Rajasthan and those of Asia and Africa.
Open to all and everyone, the Mehrangarh Fort, protected by its walls around which the twisting alleyways of a veritable architectural oasis intertwine, will bring you, as in Nagaur, Sufi traditions, this year from the Indian Ocean with the rituals of Mayotte and of famous Zanzibar. Prepare yourself for poets and singers from Iran, drums from deepest Africa, singing from the nomadic steppes of Mongolia, Jew’s harps from China, Sufi singing and dances from the Nile. At the same time, tribute will be paid to Rajasthan, with a series of creations, including the 1925 film “Prem Sanyas”, set to music by the Divana ensemble, Darbar Morchang Journey or the famous “Desert Slide” by Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt with the greatest Manganiyars from Jaisalmer and a selection of talented young Langas singers and Manganiyars, from 7 to 14 years of age.
This unique festival will show how the traditional musician conveys the knowledge he has received from another world. His voice and his musical skill are a gift of God. The artist, devoted to the community, keeps alive the founding tales, bearing witness to the link that binds nature and the deity, reciting a family genealogy and unveiling our hidden emotions.
Alain Weber
Artistic director
