Communication through Rituals: A Study of Narratives around the Ramayana in Dronagiri Village of Uttarakhand

Media and Communication

Dronagiri is a small village in the Niti Valley of Uttarakhand. It is inhabited by the Bhotia tribe. The village is situated in the mountains under the sacred Bagni glacier. The village is a culturally rich place. There are many rituals related to many local gods. The village has a strong belief that during Tretayug, in search of Sanjeevani, Lord Hanuman lifted Dronagiri Parvat from this area. Therefore, Lord Hanuman is revered in a different way in this village. The Bhotia people put a lot of faith in the Lord Hanuman. However, due to their belief in certain rituals and practises that are part of the culture, this village is quite distinctive in the entire valley. This study focuses on the rituals and practises that have become part of their culture. Moreover, the particular tradition related to Lord Hanuman has created a unique status for the village, whereby it has gained popularity through the media. The researcher has used secondary data and interview methods to decipher many aspects related to the beliefs of the villagers in the context of the Ramayana. The study suggests that villagers are well aware of the unique tradition of their village. They are also aware that the different traditions related to Lord Hanuman do not deter individuals from having immense faith in the deity.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.