As a Kathakali play, Sreeramapattabhishekam may not find a place among the top-ranking plays in the Kathakali repertoire. It may not be the first-choice among bhakti-based Kathakali plays either. However, its significance lies in the fact that the play narrates events related to Rama’s coronation, making it an apt choice for staging during the Malayalam month of Karkkidakam (July-August), which is observed as Ramayana maasam (month) in many Hindu households in Kerala.
Playwright Kottarathil Sankunni tries to pack several aspects such as the devotion of Hanuman, Sugreeva, Vibheeshana, Sarama and Guha; the brotherly affection of Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna; and Sita’s experiences of being with Rama in the play. A performance of Sreeramapattabhishekam was recently presented by Margi in Thiruvananthapuram.
Hanuman and Guha during a recital of ‘Sreeramapattabhishekam’ Kathakali.
The play starts with Rama telling Sita that they need to quickly return to Ayodhya to prevent Bharata from taking his life to fulfil his vow. Lakshmana, who’s still unhappy with Kaikeyi for stopping Rama’s coronation on the first occasion, then enters the scene. After pacifying Lakshmana, Rama sends for Vibheeshana to bring ‘pushpaka vimana’ to fly back to Ayodhya as quickly as possible.
Vibheeshana, Sugreeva and Hanuman appear in the subsequent scenes, each character presenting the customary thiranottam as they enter. The scenes are broadly uneventful and the only thing they all have to do is to arrange the flying chariot for Rama’s return. Rama listens to their plea to witness the crowning ceremony and together they start their journey back to Ayodhya. Sarama, Vibheeshana’s wife, also appears in between, seeking Rama’s blessings.
As the focus shifts from one character to another in each scene, it doesn’t give much scope for the actors to delve into the characters. Other than taking the story forward, the lyrical part too does not rise above its ordained task.
Rama and Sita during a recital of ‘Sreeramapattabhishekam’ Kathakali.
Kottakkal Ravikumar and Margi Vijayakumar enacted the roles of Rama and Sita respectively. Kalamandalam Pradeep appeared as Hanuman and the character’s encounter with Guha and his associates in one of the scenes created some lighter moments.
Balasubramanian, Sukumaran and Suresh — senior members of Margi — played the roles of Vibheeshana, Sarama and Sugreeva respectively. Balakrishnan, Jishnu Ravi, Parthasarathy, Sudeep and Athul, all alumni of Kerala Kalamandalam, enacted the other roles. The most exciting part of the play was the final scene that depicts Rama’s coronation. When staged in temples, the scene usually has an elaborate stage setting, making it a visual treat for viewers. The procession at the beginning of the scene also gets a splendid treatment, with fireworks and additional accompaniments.
However, within the constraints of an auditorium, it would not be possible for a similar display. Despite this, the troupe managed to put up a worthy show. The scene is considered to be one of the rare occasions where the viewers get to see so many characters on stage — showing the pacha, kathi, kari, thadi and minukku veshams – coming together. The play was organised by Vivekananda Samskarika Kendra in association with Samskruthi.
