The tradition-loving Kinners
Ambika Sharma

THE natives of Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh are traditionally referred to as Kinners. Even today this tradition-loving community has preserved its pristine heritage. The renowned poet Kalidasa, who belonged to Ujjain, has described Kinners in many of his works. In his famous Meghdoota, he has mentioned the singing Kinners who adorned the Kuber’s royal court at Alkapuri. Describing the Kinners as worshippers of Lord Shiva and music lovers, he has portrayed them as aides and subjects of Kuber’s kingdom. The Kinners have been described as delicate beauties with a melodious voice. They adorned themselves with flowers and wild fruits and their love tales also find a mention in the ancient folklore.

The learned writer Rahul Sanskritayan in his famous book Kinner Desh has written about the natives of Kinnaur. He wrote that this community resided on the Tibet border, towards the south west of Kailash Mansarovar. In the Ramayana, Kinners are described as natives of the area around the Shitoda river. Many other ancient texts describe them as dwellers of the Himalayan mountains like Himvaan and Mahaneel. With the passage of time, the Kinner tribes confined themselves to the inner Himalayan regions between the Sutlej and its tributaries. Epics like Markandey Puran describe Kinners as Shaivites residing in the exuberant Himalayan environs. Many other texts describe them as musicians in Lord Shiva’s court. In fact the abode of Kinners — Kinnaur — located in the Kinner Kailash Mountain is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva.

In our ancient literature, Kinners have been described as the dwellers of mountains living amidst Nagas, Yakshas, Gandharvas, Sidhas and many other such super-human beings. There is hardly any village in Kinnaur that is bereft of temples and village deities. The chief deity of a village is both an object of worship and has a multifarious role to play at the village level. People of this region believe that the spirits of those who laid down their lives in the battle of Mahabharata were sent to this part of the Himalayas (Uttarakhand) by Lord Krishna after the great battle was over. They were made masters of tiny territories and are now worshipped by the people inhabiting these territories. The existence of Kinner society cannot be imagined without gods and goddesses. At the village level, the entire socio-economic and religious activity revolves around the village deity. Locally called the santhang, the temple of the village deity, is the place where most community activies are performed. The village devta exercises executive, judicial and legislative powers.

The literature of other major Indian religions like Buddhism and Jainism also acknowledge the existence of Kinners in the Himalayan region. The Jataka stories make a mention of the Kinners in the Himalayas. There are vivid descriptions of the beauty and melody of ‘Kinneris’ who have been depicted as lovers of ornaments and skilled in decorating themselves with leaves and flowers.

The word ‘Kinner’ is derived from Sanskrit words Kinand Nar. Festival and fairs celebrated throughout the year are the hallmarks of this community where both men and women worship their deity by performing traditional dances. The dance is not just a physical activity but a form of yoga. They use 18 instruments to compose their music.

The present Kinners are, no doubt, the descendants of the ancient Kinners as is evident from the fundamental characteristics possessed by these natives. The natives were referred to as ‘Kinnaur’ or ‘Kinnara’ tribe in the Constitution in 1956.