The Influence of Jhumur Sangeet on the Thematic and Structural Development of Medieval Bengali Music and Literature

This paper challenges the conventional understanding of Jhumur Sangeet as a folk tradition that merely absorbed the motifs of the mainstream Vaishnava Bhakti movement. It posits that Jhumur is, in fact, an ancient, autonomous, and profoundly influential aesthetic stream that predates and significantly shaped the thematic and structural development of medieval Bengali music and literature. Through a close analysis of pre-Chaitanya canonical texts, including Gita Govinda of Jayadeva and Sri Krishna Kirtan of Baru Chandidas, this research demonstrates that the earthy, human-centric portrayal of divine love (shringara rasa) and the witty, dialogic structure central to these works are derived from a pre-existing folk sensibility characteristic of Jhumur. The discovery of a "Jhumri" verse composed by the 14th-century poet Vidyapati provides critical evidence, confirming Jhumur's status as a recognized genre prior to the widespread influence of Chaitanya. Ultimately, this paper re-evaluates Jhumur not as a peripheral folk form, but as a primary cultural wellspring, highlighting a process of cultural syncretism where the aesthetic sensibilities of the folk (desiya) actively informed and enriched the classical and literary (margiya) traditions of Bengal.