A beautiful drive from Tuticorin leads to the village Thirukurungudi, nestled at the foothills of the Western Ghats. The Thiruvadivazhagiya Nambi temple, popularly known as Nambi kovil, one of the 108 divya desams of the Vaishnavaite tradition, is located here. Built during the Nayak period, the temple has beautifully carved sculptures; its walls have fascinating friezes.
It was the Kaisika Ekadesi day. Since early morning the temple was bustling with activity and teeming with pilgrims. As the sun began to set, people headed towards Kaisiki mandapam to witness the Kaisiki Natakam. Performed till 3 a.m., the natakam combines poetry, music, dialogue and dance.
Taken from Kaisiki Puranam, the natakam tells the story of a staunch devotee of Perumal called Nambaduvan, who visited the Lord singing his praises only at night, as he belonged to a less privileged class. On the night of Karthigai, Shukla Paksham, he is accosted by a ravenous brahmarakshas. Nambi agrees to be his meal but seeks permission to first offer his prayers. The Lord appears in the guise of an old man and tries to convince Nambi to escape. Nambi refuses saying that he has to keep his word. The rakshasa realising Nambi’s greatness, pleads with him to grant him moksha.
As the story unfolds, the overflowing audience at the mandapam sit engrossed. It began with an invocation to Ganesha.
The exchange of dialogue between the two characters and the way they repeated the same lines with varied intonations conveyed their skill. Rajakumari as Nambi stood out for her exceptional abhinaya, while Hariharan did complete justice to his role as rakshasa.
The performance brought to the fore the use of thiraiseelai in traditional theatre forms. Not just a prop, the fabric took on many avatars such as snake Kaliya, the pillar from which Narasimha emerges, a door frame, a tree and the bow of Rama. The simple music integrated Carnatic elements into it.
The natakam that was performed by the devadasis was on the verge of extinction, when Anita Ratnam, who hails from Thirukurungudi, with guidance from Professor Ramanujam, undertook the project of reviving it under the banner of Arangham Trust. After extensive efforts to trace the surviving devadasis who performed this natakam and finding and training artists to stage it again, it was relaunched in December 1999, after a gap of 43 years. It is now being held annually with much fanfare — a time when the colours and spirit of the art form blends with the ambience of the temple.
