NDLI: Bhagavata Mela Mask

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Bhagavata Mela Mask

Content Provider	IGNCA - Man and Mask
Description	The presentations of Bhagavata Mela are presently confined to Melattur and the nearby villages of Saliyamangalam and Tepperumanallur in Tamil Nadu. The texts presently used were written in Telugu perhaps 200 years ago. The themes of the plays are mainly from the Srimad Bhagavata. The festival is held once a year in May-June, on the occasion of Narasimha Jayanti, when Narasimha, Vishnu’s avatar, is said to have killed Harinyakashipu and rescued Prahalada. The performers are male Brahmins who count the village as their home, even though many now work elsewhere. They gather together every year from wherever they are to take part in the performance as an obligation and a ritual. Prahlada Charitam is performed on the opening night, followed by other plays on subsequent nights. The performances on a simple open-air stage begin with the appearance of Konangi (the Vidushaka), followed by a young boy who dances for a few minutes with the mask of Ganapati (Ganesh). The dance and abhinaya is in the Bharatnatyam technique, with accompanying Carnatic music interspersed with prose dialogues or monologues. The only other mask in the performance is that of Narasimha. This mask of Visnu's man-lion avatar is kept in the temple at Melattur, while in Saliyamangalam it remains with the Bhagavatar in his house. At the climax of the story, at dawn after an all night performance, the 'pillar' bursts open and Narasimha appears on the stage as an entranced performer wearning the mask. A day before the Narasimha Jayanti, the Shakti (divine energy) in the Narasimha mask is transferred through rites and rituals to a pot filled with water. In a secret and sacred ceremony, the mask is washed and repainted. Then again the Shakti is transferred to the Narasimha mask with ceremonies of Prana Pratishtha, Sahasranamarchana, and Deepaaradhana.
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Ancient Human Practice Anthropology Anthropomorphic Art Work Art History Ceremonies and Practices Decorative Mask Disguise Drama Theraphy Ganapati Konangi Melattur Museum Object Narasimha Jayanti Ornamentation Performance Performing Art Ritual Mask Saliyamangalam Sculpture Srimad Bhagavata Tamil Nadu Tepperumanallur
Content Type	Image Text
Resource Type	Visual Artwork

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