Kenduli Mela in January ?

Thinking very seriously of travelling to Jaydeb Kenduli to visit The Kenduli Mela and would like to read any tips concerning safety and possible hotels near the river site on the banks of The Ajay River between the 14th and the 16th of January.Have the rouite planned out from Kolkotta to Bolpur, then i think it will have to be a bus or taxi to Jaydeb and the Mela site.Have been interested in The Bauls and their special culture for years.Has any been there lately ? Im in my 60s now but i have travelled all over India so roughing it is not a problem.Thanks.

Did you check this thread?
Ganga Sagar Mela + Joydev (Baul) Mela

Thank you very much this was most helpful. I suspected that it would be difficult to obtain a hotel room there.We might hire a car now in Kolkotta and drive there instead of the train and bus routine.Anyway i love the country side in West Bengal.Strange it reminds of Holland with central heating...!Love Calcutta though and its my favourite Indian City too.

Actually when I was there there were not many Bauls. I remember only one clearly. Most of the performers are professional singers, among them also lila-kirtan groups which sing about Chaitanya's birth and his life story.

lila kirtans in this style, (but this is with professional recording, in real performance there is more roughness, often deafeningly loud as Indians like it)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLF0E...eature=related


there are many other groups also, some with weird "spiritual" practices, not just musicians

this might be closer to what you are looking for
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c55thVoyLA

Your problem with lodging is that you should be able to stay way into the night. So it would be best for you to rent a car for the whole time of the festival. (I would rent locally, not from Kolkata. Arrive early, a few days before the festival, to arrange for your needs. Or have someone near Kenduli arrange for your needs.)

Thanks again my friend for the sound advice.I will look into renting a car locally and travel up from Kolkotta by train.Getting excited again now for travelling to India.Have been stuck in London for 3 years with health probs ! West Bengal is such a beautiful place, especially in the mornings when the mist rolls across the flat plain and the sun breaks through to illuminate the green.Thanksyou again.

I must warn you John against some local thugs in these melas. Please be careful and take special care of your belongings and your wallet too....
Enjoy !!!

Well said johnbmain!

If you do go to the mela, please come back and tell us about it.

I was in Santiniketan and other parts of rural West Bengal last January. I would love to go back for the Baul mela but I had my own health problems after last year's trip so won't be going to India this year. I'll be relying on trip reports from people like you to keep me happy!

Have you read William Dalrymple's Nine Lives? One of the people he features is a blind Baul.

Also I'm wondering if anyone has read The Honey Gatherers by Mimlu Sen, also about Bauls. I've not read it but am going to look out for it.

I am driving to kenduli from chinsurah tomorow morning..hoping to be there to see the baul mela...will update on sunday evening or monday morning!

Wish you a happy journey... Drive safely...

The bathing will start tomorrow in the early morning. Stay whole night and visit the different Akharas of the Bauls. I feel this year there will be some urban crowd too....the affect of "Moner Manus" movie...

had a blast of a trip...drove straight to kenduli and hung the whole night on this akhara and that...though dint see much of a urban crowd...next day spent the day at shantineketan...simply wow!

That's great...Thank god the urban intellectuals haven't invaded the mela yet...

Anyone know the dates for this festival in Jan 2012? If you are also going, let me know and we can meet up!

I think it is held at Birbhum in mid-January (14th-16th January) annually, to celebrate Baul music. Sounds fascinating indeed.

Kenduli Mela is held very close to Santiniketan(Birbhum district). It is indeed a fair for Baul(Hindu) and Fakir(Muslim) folk singers to give free concerts.

And theyyamdancer is correct..it will be held from 14th-16th Jan 2012.

It is held on the last day of the Bengali month called Poush. That's also called Poush Sankranti. The festival starts with an early morning holy dip in the river Ajay on whose banks the fair is held.
The fair is to commemorate the divine sighting that poet Jaydev had of Lord Sri Chaitanya on the bank of Ajay when he was busy writing the classic Geet Gobindam. This is the reason why the festival/place is also called Jaydev Kenduli.
It is difficult to attend the festival because hotel/accommodation is virtually non-existent. Also, too much of loud speakers are being used these days which ruins good music.
But if you want to see what smoking weed really is then you must visit this fair/festival !!! It is a part of their ritual/culture/custom, much like it is for the Rasta Farians.