Kula Shaker: Not Quite 21st Century Alwars, But Still…

By Aranyakananda

I recently discovered “Kula Shaker”, a British “psychedelic rock” band who were very popular in the late ’90s, and have reformed in the 21st century. I am not sure if “psychedelic” is an appropriate label for them or if any time white musicians delve into the “mystical East” it is deemed psychedelic. You see, Kula Shaker is a band deeply interested in Hindu spirituality. They became so after their singer’s trip through India in 1993. It seems at least some members are devoted to Krishna and Narayana. Many of their songs reveal this outright. Kula tunes like “Tattva”, “Song of Love/Narayana” and “Govinda” are sung in part or in full in Hindi. They have often played live with sitar players and other traditional Indian classical instrumentation.

“Sleeping Jiva”, “108 Battles (of the Mind)”, and “Golden Avatar” also illustrate the band’s Dharma leanings quite clearly.

I missed “Kula Shaker” last fall when I became interested in a genre of music called “Krishnacore”, an expansive definition of which Kula Shaker would fit.

This post is meant to introduce “Kula Shaker” to those of you who are interested in “pop music” that is more on the “spiritual side”. But this post is also meant to be a lead-in to my next post on the band’s namesake, King Kulasekhara and the devotional Vaisnav and Shaivite poets, Alwars and Nayanars respectively.

Aum, Jai Harihara Namah!