By: LAIMAYUM SUBHADRA DEVI, SERAM RAJESHWARAN SINGH
Jagoi Rās is a living cultural tradition that integrates devotion, ritual practice, aesthetic expression, and community participation within Manipuri Vaiṣṇava society. Extending beyond performance, it functions as a contemplative discipline in which the dancer assumes the dual role of devotee and medium, while the community collectively engages in a shared sacred experience. In this context, performance becomes transformative, aligning with Schechner’s concept of “restored behavior,” where embodied repetition elevates ritual into lived spirituality. The Bhangi Pareng sequences – Achouba, Gopi Vrindavan, and Khurumba – serve as structured expressions of meditative devotion, guiding performers toward spiritual inwardness. At the same time, the potloi costume and associated ritual practices reinforce communal values of purity, humility, and discipline. Within the theological framework of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, Jagoi Rās articulates madhura–rasa as both aesthetic experience and collective devotion, with the dance pavilion experienced as a shared sacred Vṛndāvana. Sustained through communal participation, ritual continuity, and intergenerational transmission, Jagoi Rās actively shapes the cultural and religious consciousness of Manipuri Vaiṣṇava society. Methodologically, this study employs an interpretive approach that combines textual analysis with performance-based observation conducted at the ritual sites where Jagoi Rās is performed.
