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Mussoll
Mussoll is a folk-play-cum-dance played by the Kshatriyas among the Christians
from the two hamlets of Chandor-Kott and Kouddi in Chandor village. Mussoll in
Konkani, is an instrument used by women folk for pounding rice. It is a dance
based on the legendry powers of the ancient Kshatriyas. This play must have been
exhibited at the sabha-mandapa (assembly- hall) of the royal temple of Lord
Chareshwar (moon god), with as many variations as circumstances of the time
permitted. It is also called 'Musllam-Fell' or Khell. The dance is a war
dance -
a dance of a martial race or caste.
From the wording of the song, the
Mussoll dance commemorates the victory of King Harihara II, son of Bukka I of the Vijayanagar empire, over the Cholas at
the ancient fort of Chandrapur around 1310AD. King Harihara is supposed to have
claimed descent from the lunar race. Mussoll dance has a constituent symbol, i.e.
a bear which is the symbol of Cholas.
Originally the dance was held on the full moon night in the month
of Phalguna. Now it is held on the second night of the Christian
carnival. The
preparation for the dance-cum-play commence on the first day of the carnival
(i.e. Sunday). One of the most senior Gaunkars (Kshatriya or Chaddho) is
eligible to become the captor of the bear. Dressed in ancient native costumes
consisting of a Dhoti, over which he wears a white shirt like garment, a jacket
and a turban and anklets on the left foot, he carries a rope in his hand and a
ghumatt (which is a local percussion instrument in Goa consisting of goat-skin
taut over the mouth of an earthen pot, of which the other mouth is kept open)
slung down his neck. Another Gaunkar dressed in a ragged black blanket, his face
covered with a mask of a bear, a rope tied round his waist, the end of which is
in the hands of the captor and carrying a branch of a mango or 'rumbodd' tree is
taken prisoner by the captor, and exhibited to the Kshatriya households in the
Kott area of Chandor.
Next day at six o'clock in the morning, both the captor and the captive bear
proceed to the main gate of the Fort near San Tiagos Chapel (St. James). They
come from the gate, the captor beating the ghumatt and the bear growling out, to
the entrance of the chapel. There the captive bear, deposits the branch of the
tree to signify total surrender. From there, they go along from house to house of
the Gaunkars, care being taken to arrive last at the house of the captor where
he and the captive bear change into their normal vestments and disband from
there.
On the second day of the Carnival, at about 10 in the night, all
Gaunkars
assemble at the Sabha-mandapa of the temple of Lord Chandreshwar. A short
Christian prayer is said and then the dance can begin at the Mandd which is a
place, marked for communal festive functions. When they have finished dancing,
the procession led by torch bearers and attendants proceeds to the Chapel of San Tiago near the main gate of the Fort, where they dance for a while. Then
they go from house to house of every Gaunkar and after the last house has been
visited, they return to the 'Mandd' and disband. At every dwelling, the lady of
the house must welcome the dancers by bringing out a lamp.
On the third day of the Carnival, at about ten in the morning, one
Gaunkar
dressed in the native costume and carrying a ghumatt and accompanied by a
peasant woman who carries with her a basket of cow dung, a pot of water and a
broom, takes the same route of the previous night, dance and sees that the barik
rounnem (which is the central spot where the Mussoll was beaten hard into the
ground during the dance) is levelled and cow dunged to signify the return of
peace and to reassure prosperity and well being of the city inhabitants. A token
coin is given to the sweeper-woman and another one to the Gaunkar as the
households contribution to the Mandd fund. This fund serves to meet the
incidental expenses of the dance performance and miscellaneous activities.
The
Mussoll or pounding pestle used in the dance is made of solid bamboo of
about 6-7 feet in length with inserted hawk's bells and is carried only by those
who will actually dance. The torches are made of coconut, sliced mid-way
longitudinally dried like copra and treated with a mixture of mud and cow dung.
These were held upright on a spike at the end of a long bamboo stick. A wick was
inserted, which burns under the oil that oozes out of the dried Kernel of the
coconut. Besides these, torches of wax or of dried coconut-tree leaves will be used.
The dance consist of a march and the beating of the barik
rounnem. The march
has a martial beat and has three different steps. First a combination of
clockwise and anti-clockwise full turns. Second a serpentine forward movement
done in half turns, left and right and third as a straight march on the ball of
the feet. The starting step is always with the left foot, except that in the
first step whilst the left side dancers are completing the full turn starting
with the left foot. The right dancers do the same starting with the right foot
in order to keep the movement either clockwise or anti-clockwise.
The dance has only two beats : single beat and a triple time
beat. The steps are basically a one-step and a three-step movement. But
a combination of one-step, two steFp and three step movements each in
clockwise and anti-clockwise turns is usually danced. The dance always
starts with the left foot forward and in an anti-clockwise circular direction.
The most enchanting is the twirl in which every alternate dancer leaves
the ring or the barik rounnem and they form together an outer ring dancing
in an opposite direction in three-step movements, while the dancers in
the inner circle barik-rounnem do the three-step movement in full turns.
Though the original song of the Mussoll dance is on an eastern melody,
it is weighed down by western music with the Portuguese impact on it.
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