Janapada Loka Museum, Ramanagara

Janapada Loka, Ramanagara Overview

Janapada Loka translates to 'Folk World', and as the name suggests, is dedicated to promoting, preserving and propagating the very vibrant folk art and culture. It is located in the Ramanagara District, just off 53 km from the Bengaluru - Mysore Highway. The Karnataka Janapada Parishath took up the initiative of establishing Janapada Loka, not only to conserve the slowly diminishing ar but to educate and inspire the generations with its poise, power and sheer beauty.

The Janapada Loka houses just about 5000 folk artefacts which include a variety of previously used but unflinchingly mighty hunting equipment, rustic and old-school agricultural equipment, traditional and creative household wares, colourful puppets and artefacts that revolve around the themes of folk literature, music, sculptures, festivals and lifestyle. All these artefacts are divided between separate wings, namely Folks Art Museum, Loka Mahal, Chitra Kuteera, Doddamane, Shilamala, Ayagaramala, etc. This enormous complex spreads over a whopping 15 acres of land and houses a sparkling blue lake, lush greenery, local eateries serving specially prepared and regionally popular Karnataka dishes and even a small children's play park!

Folk Arts Museum

The Folk Arts Museum is a beautiful opportunity for artists for displaying their art and being discovered. Not just art made by local artists, the museum holds artefacts that are decades old! It houses the tools and equipment used for farming, various types of musical instruments and also shadow puppets that are over 500 years old. The first museum building in the complex was the Lokamatha Mandir that displays old-school household and agriculture tools- evidence of the genius and creativity of our ancestors and proof to the anecdote- 'Necessity is the mother of invention'.

In the olden times, during marriage celebrations, when all the villagers in the village were to be invited and to be hosted for dinner, a lot of flour needed to be ground to cater to the vast crowd. At such occasions, a huge stone grinder was used, which would be run by two mighty buffaloes who would circle the grinder continuously to get it churning. This grinder is on display at the very entrance of the museum.

It also has utensils that were craftily made of mud, stone, wood and clay. Tools and tackles for harvesting, jars and containers that stored pickles and grains, worship tools made from brass and copper and old handlooms are few of the many artefacts that are put up for display. There are paintings here too, made all from natural colours, particularly made as a part of marriage decorations in tribal houses; this is still a very prevalent practice among tribes where the work culture of women is beautifully portrayed.

Exploring Janapada Loka Museum

Entrance: The entrance of Janapada Loka grandly welcomes you with brass trumpets on pillars that guard the gate on either side and with 'Harige' and 'Nandidwajas', which are flags of Nandi, the bull. Images of the great Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are embossed into the gates, which leads straight to the Lok Mata Mandir, the information centre of the museum. There is also a flock of pet swans that stroll in their milk-white glory and delight you with their presence!

Loka Mahal: This wing is a two-storied building and displays many large dolls of the artists that perform folk dances of Moodalapaya Yakshagana and Garudi. In fact, Garudi dolls hold significant importance in the tribal culture as they are carried along in ceremonial dance processions and accompanied with drums. Chau masks, a speciality of eastern India, are also displayed.

Chitra Kuteera: This place mainly commemorates the founder. Photographs and articles about his work, interactions with the village, etc. are on display. The achievements of other local artists are also celebrated.

Doddamane: Doddamane means a big house, and this wing is mainly a replica of the giant traditional village house. The house is used as a community centre for the village for holding workshops and seminars.

Shilamala: Shilamala or Shilpamala, means stone memorials. This wing accommodates ancient stone sculptures that are said to belong to 800 A.D! There is a temple here that is dedicated to Lord Ganesha, around which are sculptures veera-kallu, masti-kallu and images of gods, arranged systematically. These figurines have been found and transported from all over the state.

Ayagaramala: This the wing where different types of tools that were used in the day to day lives of the villagers are displayed, like relating to sugarcane crushing, pottery, wooden chariots, cottage industries, etc. A small puppet theatre that can accommodate about 50 people is a part of this wing, and there is a vast open-air theatre in the shape of a Greek amphitheatre, which can comfortably fit over 1000 people!

Festivals Celebrated at Janapada Loka

Each year the festivals of Lokostava that falls between February and March, Dussera which falls in October and the Kite Festival which falls in July are eagerly celebrated along with cultural events related to the folk. The Lokotsava is mainly to honor the birth centenary of their founder, Mr Nage Gowda, and is a two-day fun-filled festival where artists and folklorist from all over the region eagerly participate in.

How To Reach Janapada Loka

The Cantonment Railway Station, Bangalore is the closest, at a distance of 52 km, approximately an hour long drive. The Janapada Loka Bus Stop is only 290 meters from the attraction and is barely a 5-minute walk. Janapada Loka can be reached by boarding any bus from Majestic Bus Stand, Bangalore, except for those going to Mysore.

You can also hire an auto from Ramnagaram (6 km). Janapada Loka is 53 km from Bangalore via the Bangalore-Mysore Highway. Taxis and autos can be hailed to the attraction quite easily and is an economical option to travelling to Janapada Loka.

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Janapada Loka Reviews

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harshitha k p

on Janapada Loka 6 years ago

Janapada Loka - also known as "Folk-World" or "Folk Museum" has an extraordinary collection of over 5,000 artefacts. Taken care by Karnataka Janapada Parishat. Ideal and a must visit place for cultur (Read More)e-lovers. Events such as Lokasiri is conducted to awaken and promote the traditional and cultural values. Moreover, it has a minimal entry fee of INR 10 for adults and INR 05 for children (excluding the cost for taking pictures and videos)