Where Gods Dwell: Folktales Of India

by Kusum Budhwar

An introduction to the colorful and exuberant folk literature from the hills of Kumaon and Garhwal. In the iridescent snows of the Central Himalayas known as Devbhoomi, the land of the gods, there is a story for every mountain, river and tree. Kusum Budhwar introduces us to Kumaon and Garhwal’s rich and rarely translated folk literature by retelling the colorful and exuberant stories of the region. Whimsical and imaginative, these are tales of high adventure, luminous love and romance, benevolent pastoral gods, local heroes, brave medieval warriors, sacred sites and historical anecdotes, all of which are equally popular in these parts but little known outside. Arranged in sections, each focusing on a particular theme, the book opens with Nanda Devi, the patron goddess of the region, believed to be the daughter of the Himalayas. In the sections that follow we become intimately acquainted with the enchanting adventure sagas of the Ramola clan, the Ramola Gathas; the romantic ballads ‘Malushahi’ and ‘Haru Heet’; the tale of Chyongompa, the demon bird; and the simple stories, imbued with faith, of local gods and goddesses like Golu Dev and Devmangala, among others. Where Gods Dwell not only allows us to savour the stories of the hills, resonating with the cheerful cadences of mountain streams and the dark silence of the forests, but also offers us a rare glimpse of the culture, life and society of the people of the region whose lives are shaped by the rugged terrain they inhabit and who revere the mountains on which they make their home.

296 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Rashmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's was so exuberant to read the folktales and legends. I belong to Uttarakhand and I have seen the ”jagar” since my childhood. (Jagar- the spirit of God is invoked for a specific purpose. Once God has been invoked through ritual worship, his awakened spirit enters the medium and solves the problems.)
After reading the book, I feel so connected to my place, to know the stories of legend.
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In the iridescent snows of the central Himalayas known as Devbhoomi, the land of gods, there is story for every mountain, river and tree.
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In this book, you’ll come to know about the reasons of many things.
The story behind ’subdarkund’, ’bagesgwad’, ’almora’, etc.
Yk, I have came to know that why ’golu devta’ use the crop made of stone whenever he is present in a jagar and
I have never known that the old name of ’garhwal’ and ’kumaon’ is ’kedarkhand’ and ’kurmanchal’. It's so much interesting.
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#wheregodsdwell not only allows us to savour the stories of the hills, resonating with the cheerful cadences of mountain streams and dark silence of forests but also offers us a rare glimpse of the culture, life and society of the people of the region whose lives are shaped by rugged terrain they inhabit and who revere the mountains on which they make their home.

[Abhinav Marda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book during my stay in Nainital. I have been on a few treks in the Kumaoni and Garhwal regions in the past year, and have been deeply interested in the history of the celestial land.

The stories and folk tales in the book are crisp retellings of common legends among the locals. It introduces to us some of the local deities of the regions as well.

This book is a great companion if you plan to trip to Uttarakhand.

[Manoj Karki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always drawn towards Paharh, it is part of me. I chanced upon this book and having finished reading it today; I feel that these folktales will survive, possibly and, spread too; written in English but retaining the charm, tone and significance of original orals.
I am from Kumaon region and have heard some of these stories or versions of them - still it was like reading them afresh and anew.
Local deities revered and worshipped today were in fact extra ordinary mortals but they are living forever in our prayers. Mountains, rivers, valleys, meadows mentioned are very much here still as if saying we have witnessed all and what not.
Dreams and fantasies - so integral and intriguing. Love story of Rajuli Malushahi has a happy ending in this book.

This is fascinating stuff. I will keep coming back to it.
Kusum Budhwar - 'you are a gifted and marvellous story teller'. Our children should read your books.

[Yashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best reads ever. Being in love with the Himalayas, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the legends and tales from Devbhoomi and the stories are so well written that now I literally want to travel to all the places mentioned in the book and hear about the folktales and legend from the local people myself.

This book is a treasure for all those who are simply in love with my Himalayas.

[Anjali · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great book to help you understand the folklore tradition and the divine culture of Uttarakhand. Being a person from Uttarakhand, this book was full of nostalgic vistas for me as I grew up listening to these stories from my grandparents.

[Himanshu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer - The book is about the folk tales from my part of the country which is not well represented in popular culture. So my review is biased.


Ok disclaimer aside, the book is good compendium of folk tales of hilly region of India. These are tales of Gods,kings,knights, heroes and demons. Stories which have excited me, scared me and taught me life lessons since my childhood. Revisiting them took me to my childhood days. I must confess I only knew a few of them and that too in a patchy manner. Blame it on my fading memory. These stories used to be recited to me by my grandmother and reading them took me back to those days.

On its own the book has merit. It will appeal to anyone keen to know history of the region. Starting stories are connected to the major Gods of Hinduism and give clarity on why this region is called Dev Bhoomi.

[Tanay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about the folktales of uttarakhand. It felt like there were more stories about kumaon than garhwal, maybe?, im from kumaon so dont know all the garhwal folktales but im guessing there must be more stories than what were added.
There are several stories that i expected to find in the book but didnt from kumaon. Wont mention them cuz they might be local to my village but i dont think they are.
Kumaon stories were kinda accurate, had missed some details and events and had incorrect/misspelled names of places. It was interesting reading about the stories of garhwal since they werent the ones i grew up listening but they are hill folks too like me so i found it interesting.
I hope the author writes another version with corrections, missed details and more stories.

[Neha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

So glad I picked this up in Nainital. A nice, easy to read introduction to the folklore of the region.

[SÉLÉNOPHILÉ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an amazing book.