Janapada Loka, Ramanagaram

Janapada Loka is the result of the single minded dedication of Sri H.L.Nage Gowda to
protect and promote folk art and culture of Karnataka. He was a retired bureaucrat and
folklorist. Janapada Loka was inaugurated on 12th March 1994.
Janapada Loka or "Folk world" is an institution that is dedicated to preserving and propagating the rural
folk culture of Karnataka. It is a part of the Karnataka Janapada Parishat [1] and is situated in Ramanagara
district on the Bangalore-Mysore highway.
It is set up on a 15-acre (61,000 m2) campus, where rural milieus from Karnataka have been recreated. It
also houses a wide array of rural artifacts depicting the essence of folk literature, music, dance, festivals,
sculpture and lifestyle. It is the brainchild of the folklore enthusiast, the late H. L. Nage Gowda.
Janapada Loka provides an opportunity for rural artisans,musicians and craftspeople to showcase their
art[2] and provides a platform for marketing these works of art.

15 acres of land on the outskirts of Ramanagara is converted into a museum complete

with a village home and surroundings.
Janapada Loka is a subsidiary of the Karnataka Janapada Parishath and they conduct
classes on folk music and dance. There are students who hone their skills on various
folk arts here.
Janapada loka is recognized by Bangalore University and recognized Janapada
Diploma and Janapada Certificate courses that can be completed here.
The campus consists of Lokamahal, Lokamatha mandira, Chtirkuteera, Saraswathi
mandira, an open-air theatre, studio, Doddamane, library, a college and research
centre, Shilpamala

Loka Mahal

This is a spacious two storeyed building. In the ground

floor there are life size dolls dressed as Mudalapaya Yakshagana artists, coorgi couple, Dasayya and
Goravayya village characters, pied piper, Halakki vokaaligas- who perform dances of nomadic tribe
and harvest dances. The other rarities that find a place here are various arms and weapons, the
articles used in wedding ceremony, weights and measures of yester years, ritual items used while
performing pooja and lastly a few items from the kitchen. The ground floor which is named as
Boothada Gallery meaning Ghosts gallery we find life size idols of ghosts made of wood and stone. The
first floor has a well collected exhibition of various folk instruments. Special dolls made for folk theater
-Togalu gombegalu or leather puppets, string puppets, rod puppets apparels of Badagu tittu and
TenkutYakshagana artists, Ganjeefa art pieces(playing cards), children's playthings, Soma and Harige
and other masks exhibited here capture the interest of the visitors.

Lokamatha mandira: Here household articles like cooking vessels, implements used
for farming, grain storage bins, and so on. It gives an insight into the way people
innovated, the different tools and utensils to cook different dishes. The vessel used to
steam food is very interesting.
Chitrakuteera: Chitra kuteera

Number of attractive black and white and colour pictures

exhibited in Chitra kuteera bring alive the festivals,fairs, arts and customs of our karnataka before our
eyes. Many photographs taken while Sri. Nagegoda was engaged in establishing janapadaloka,while
recording folk music, video recording and collecting folk artifacts and personal articles, manuscripts,
awards received by him are also exhibited here. Photographs of tribal people, masks of Tenkutittu
Yakshagfana form,and folk theatre attracts the attention of the visitors

Saraswathi Mandira

Saraswathi mandira built on the bank of the

lokasarovara houses a well-equipped library on the ground floor with fecilities for in-house reading and
is open to the public on all working days.The first floor serves as class room for the students studying
in the certificate and diploma course of the parishath. It is also used for meetings and seminars.
Adjascent to the as saraswathi mandira are two well-furnished rooms useful for scholors to stay at a
nominal rate.

Shilpamala

A large collection of stones arranged in Shilpamala are

not just ordinary stones of the present day but memorial stones dating back to a period more than
four hundred years These are all inscripted stones which were installed in honour brave people for
their achievements. These are identified as Veeragallu- in honour of a war hero, Sathikalllu- in honour
of a faithful wife and Gokallu- in honour of a beloved cow. Besides these there are many idols of
worship which had been abandoned and lying in ruins in different parts of karnataka.These have been
collected and preserved and displayed here with serenity. Behind the shilpamala is a temple of
Ganesha - built in a typical village style.The whole atmosphere makes the visitors feel one with the
nature.

Open air theatre

An impressive and big open air theatre built in Greek

style with a capacity to hold 1000 persons at a time. The theatre comes alive with programmes of folk
artforms on every sunday.. Adjacent to it is a well equipped green room. The theatre has received
applause from none other than Late B.V Karantha, the best director of theatre arts that India has
produced.

Video scope theatre

A videoscope theatre which is behind the open air

theatre is well equipped and provides all the facilities like big screen and comfortable seats to view
videos of folk artforms,culture and documentaries.

Alasuru Chariot

Alasuru chariot was a part of Someshwara Temple,

Bangalore which is of significant historical importance. But the chariot was slightly damaged due to a
fire accident and was considered inauspicious for puja. The chariot thus discarded is brought here in
its full form and preserved after conservation and displayed for its beautiful and delicate carvings.

Dodda Mane

A house having twelve pillars and a open central

court yard.. Around the central courtyards are rooms and large halls which serve as dormetaries for
visiting folk artists.It is also hired by public and organizations for conducting marriages, seminars,
workshops. Adjascent to the main house is a community kitchen to fecilitate large scale cooking.
Nearby is the toilet fecility for both men and women. Schools, colleges and institutions can
comfortably arrange short term or long term resident workshops, seminars, summer camps, as it has
the necessary infrastructure.The house has a big hall and a beautifully maintained lawn. It has the
facilities to accommodate Janapada artists. Adjacent to Doddamane is a kitchen, bath rooms and
toilets. Schools, colleges and institutions can comfortably arrange short term or long term workshops,
camps and seminars here since Doddamane has all the necessary infrastructure.

JaanapadaMantapa and Kinnari & Kamsale

Janapada mantapa is a spacious hall with stage

which can be used for multipurposes, like lectures, seminars, functions etc . Adjascent to this are two
smaller buildings facing each other which also can be used for functions. There is a open-air stage in
between these two buildings with a beautiful backdrop of green landscaping, ideal for folk
perfromances and such cultural programmes.

Loka Ruchi Upahara Mandira

Kamat Group of Hotels, Bangalore is running a hotel inside the campus.. The upahara mandira has
earned a name for serving local and ethnic food with lot of care and cleanliness. The upahara mandira
takes pride in serving local delicacies such as Ragi mudde , Jolada Rotti, Soppina Saru, Shavige and
Kayihalu
in
traditional
style
in
a
serene
lush
green
sarroundimgs.

.
Loka Sarovara: This is an artificial man-made lake with boating facilities.
Place Statistics:
Type of place: Folklore Museum
Situated: Ramanagara, Karnataka
Distance: 53 Km from Bangalore

Transport: Well connected by road and rail

Mahadwara
A massive main door 'Mahadwara', which measures twenty feet adorned with horns, trumpets and
Harige, Nandidwajas made of brass standing on either side of the entrance path towering to a height
of twenty six feet extend a warm welcome to the visitors.