Word

Harikatha

Sanskrit

हारिकथा

IAST

hārikathā

In General

Harikatha is a composite art form of storytelling, poetry and dance. Any stories about God or saints can be subject of Harikatha

Purana and Itihasa were written for the general public. In the ancient times these works came down to the uneducated masses by the work of Bhakti poets and singers. Harikatha is a form of story telling inspired by the Puranas and Bhakti cult. It has got its regional variations with different names in different part of the country. The villagers enjoyed the harikatha which was a mixture of story telling music and songs. In between the story telling, songs and music, the moral and religious lessons were also discussed.