As the show is set to begin on this particular evening, dark clouds waft across the sky. The palace looks more beautiful in that backdrop and soon the natural dimming light of the day is replaced with multi-hued lights beamed across the pillars of the palace. The motley crowd that has turned up for the show in English is introduced to King Tirumalai Nayyak, as a prominent ruler of his dynasty and an ardent devotee of goddess Meenakshi.
As the play of lights takes on a resplendent glory and the sound track goes all powerful with an interesting storyline, we learn about the ruler – as a warrior whose victory over the Mysore king is much celebrated; how people rejoice the King’s love for art, music and poetry; the King as a secular person who made land grants for religious purposes and endeared himself to the masses; how much he was fond of his queens and; all that add up to his credentials as a much loved human being. The anecdotes of Tirumalai reign are narrated in both an intriguing and entertaining manner.
The synchronization of light and sound is remarkable and draws you in so much that you feel you are watching a live play sans actors. Siva Chidambaram’s voice over for the King is dramatic and does complete justice to the show much as the female vocals for the other roles. Together, they bring to life the characters in the narration. The background score is in sync with the show. There are many instances when the various elements of the show combine to make it so real. For instance, the part where a thief enters the palace even while the soldiers guard the palace, can give you goose bumps!
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“The play consists of stories based on real occurrence as well as beliefs. The original script has been composed by Kali Muthu, which even included the Kannagi curse that is believed to have set the city ablaze. The episode was, however, removed from the script,” says Oli Malik, the AE at Palace.
He recalls how the show was launched in 1980 with just a halogen light focusing on the centre of the palace and an audio track running simultaneously. “It worked like that till 2007. After the renovation of the palace was completed in 2009, the show was reopened with major changes like the increased use of lights and stereophonic sounds,” he adds.
By the time the one-hour show is over, people know how and why King Tirumalai Nayak constructed the palace spread over 20 acres as a symbol of grandeur in South India and it’s architecture was intended to be part of Madurai’s beauty. Built in 1636, it was a fusion of several arts and its 248 pillars were a distinguishing feature. But unfortunately, only a quarter of the original structure remains now in the original location.
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The complex was reduced to remnants when Tirumalai Nayak’s grandson, Chokkanatha Nayak shifted the capital from Madurai to Tiruchirapalli. Later, during the British regime, the palace was used as the district court and continued to function so till 1970. With establishment of ASI in 1971, the task of renovating the palace gained momentum and since then has been declared a heritage site.
The show run daily from 6.45 for an hour each in English and Tamil is quite absorbing. There is a seating capacity for 450 people in the open courtyard in the middle but not more than 50 people turn up in the evenings. On weekends, the numbers increase but never to full capacity. An irritant behaviour of people watching the show is to either leave midway or roam around the corridors of the palace and come in the way of the projector beam or keep flashing their cameras to take photos.
Instead, people should just sit back and enjoy the show. Before coming for the show, if people read up a bit on the history of the dynasties that have ruled Madurai, the evolution of Sangam literature and the Dravidian architecture, then this two decades old sound-and-light show can become even more thrilling to watch and hear with one’s imagination taking on the reins. The State Archaeology department could perhaps publicize the event a bit aggressively to entice crowd. Why let an effort go waste and in the process history be forgotten?