Bauls du Bengale are traveling musicians and singers who spread their songs of divine love across the country — Bengal and Bangladesh (East Bengal). The initiates took their inspiration from various spiritual sources which have crossed Bengal ever since the 11th century (tantric Buddhism, Sufism, Vishnuism) while still maintaining a strong sense of personal freedom.
The Baul tradition has been passed down both orally and ancestrally. The songs have been handed down from parents to their children or from gurus to their disciples. The majority of the songs of initiation stemmed from the exchange of spiritual ideas between disciples and their masters. The Baul movement attained its peak of splendor in the 18th century, essentially influenced by the Bengali mystic and reformer Chaitanya, who awakened the people's devotion to Krishna.
The Bauls generally live modest, rural lives. Their instruments are rudimentary, usually hand-made (coconut shells, gourds, bamboo, tin-cans). They occasionally play together in groups, but more often offer individual interpretations, accompanied by several basic instruments which may be played simultaneously (ektara, dughi and gunghur for instance). —Courtesy Calabash Music
