The centuries-old art form, ‘Yakshagana’, weaved many threads such as music, dialogues, dance, narration into an impressive play.
The two-day programme, that began on Saturday, included narratives on ‘Shri Ramashwamedha’ and ‘Kolluru Kshetra Mahatyam’, lasting for about two-and-a-half hours each.
Performed by a 24-member troupe of Sri Mahaganapathi Yakshagana Mandali Nidle from Mangalore, the weekend event enthralled the audience at Kaveri Kannda Sangha with a blend of comedy and serious tracks.
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‘Shri Ramashwamedha’ brought out the essence of unity between Shiva and Rama.
The theme is based on the ceremonial ritual where Rama, as per sage Vasishta’s suggestion, decides to perform ‘Ramashwamedha’ after Ravana’s death to get rid of ‘Brahma hatya dosha’.
However, the ‘yagna’ was disrupted by king Veeramani, an ardent devotee of Shiva, when he ties the horse while it passes through his kingdom Jyotirmedha.
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Shatrugna presses Hanuman into service, who requests Veeramani to surrender by freeing the sacrificial horse. But the king refuses to oblige and wages a war instead. While Shiva comes to the rescue of his devotee, Hanuman decides to fight against Shiva.
In the end, Shiva and Rama come together as they consider Hara and Hari as one and the same.
Dressed in colourful costumes and heavy make-up, the artistes brought the mythological characters to life by dancing and delivering lengthy dialogues in colloquial Kannada with ease.
On the second day, the prominence of ‘Kolluru Kshetra Mahatyam’ was highlighted in dance-drama format.
As a ‘bhagavata’ (singer) narrated the drama and the musicians synchronised the mood by playing ‘chande’ (drums), mrudangam, and Yakshagana ‘tala’.
“In the rural areas, the age-old theatre form is usually performed late in the night. The comedy tracks packed in the play aim at holding the interest of the audience. We want to keep the tradition alive by hosting such plays,” president of the sangha G. Sriram and its secretary Vishnumurthy Bhatt said.