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Krishnanattam: An Overview* A.PURUSIIOTHAMAN. A.HARINDRANATII Amongthepetfotmances.Krishnanattam isauspicious. IfRamanattamstarts.defects.....ilIfollowdefinitely. -KuncanNambiar,Krishnalila KriShnanattamorKrishnattarnisatempleart.nowperformedatGuruvayurTernpleasa votiveofferingbyatroupeunderthemanagementofGuruvayurDevasworn(Guruvayur 680101,ThrissurDt,Kerala,India).TheperformanceisbasedonKrishnagiti,atextofslokas andpadamsinSanskrit.composedbyManavedan,the Zamorin Kingof Calicut,in 1654. Krishna'sstoryasdescribedindetailintheTenthandEleventhCantosofSrimadBhagavata, MahabharataandHarivamsaispresentedassong.danceandactinginacycleofeightplays in eight days. The plays are Avatararn, Kaliyamardanam, Rasakrida, Karnsavadharn, Swayamvaram,Banayuddham,VividavadhamandSwargarohanam (AkarokaSwabhaviswa isthemnemonictorememberthenamesinorder). An excellent critical articleconcerning the various aspects of this temple art andits appreciation is Preparingfor Krishna by Dr. Rustom Bharucha (I). Krishnanauam. the MalayalamcommentarytoKrishnagitibyProf.P.c.VasudevanElayath(2)includesanexcel lentintroductionKrisbnattapravesakam.Krishnouam,abookbyDr.MarthaBushAshton SikoraandRobertP.Sikora(3)summarisesthehistoricaldevelopment.trainingoftheartists. descriptionofperformances,viewsoftheartistsaswellasotheraspectsofKrishnananarn. Preliminary'Rituals Kelikottuisthefirsteventoftheplay.Kelikottuiscarriedoutbyplayingdrums(maddalams). gong(chengala)andcymbals(elathalam)intheeveningduringdaytimeattheEastNadaof thetemple.Thisistoinformthepeopleintheneighborhood abouttheperformancesched uledinthenight.Alampislitinthemakeuproomatdusk.Actors(allmale)putontheirmake up.sittingonthefloor,aroundanotherlamplightedfromthelampinthemakeuproom. Assoonasthedailyritualsofthetemplearecompleted and the SanctumSanctorumis closedfortheday(about10to10.30p.m.),theKaliVilakku(AnOilLampofthePlay)iskept infrontofperformancespaceintheTempleontheNorthsideoftheSanctumSanctorum.The KaliVilakkuislitbyaBrahminfromthelampinthemakeuproom.Stagehandsplacethe musicalinstruments(drums.gongandcymbals)onthegroundbehindtheKaliVilakku.The maddalamplayerstouchthemrespectfully.liftthemup.playacoupleofbeatsonbothsides toinvokesabdabrahmaandhangtheinstrumentsaroundtheirwaists.ThenKelikkayyuis performedusingrnaddalarns.chengalaandelathalam. "Copyright (ortext andphotographs rests withtheauthors.-Ed. SangutNatal Vol.XXXIX. No.4. 2005 48 A. PURUSHOTHAMAN. A. HARINDRANATH Afterkelikkayyu,acolourfulrectangular Thirassila(curtain)isheldbehindKaliVilakku bytwostagehands.ThenTodayamisperformedbehindthescreenbythewomencharacters appearingonthatday'splay.Todayamisaprayerdanceperformedbythedance"accompa nied by musicto invoke the blessingsof the Lord.Todayam is notfor the spectators,For Todayam, thelines starting withNarayana Narakantaka Narakaparayana inthe fifth padamoftheplayKaliyamardanamaresung. Allperformancesbegin withtherecitaloftheslokastarting withSouvamatbhutaasthe mangalasloka (AuspiciousBeginning). AfterTodayamitistimeforPurappatu,apieceofpuredancechoreography.EitherKrishna orBalaramaorboth,oralongwithothercharacters,dancewithgesturesofhandandfaceand specialsteps.InAvataram,thefirstscene(BrahmaandBhumiDevi)isconsideredasPurappatu. Inotherplays,thesceneinwhicheither KrishnaorBalaramaorbothappear firstonstageis coosidered as Purappatu. In Kamsavadham, Purappatu is in the middle of the play. In Yividavadharn,therearetwoPurappatu, firstinthebeginning(Balaramaand wives)andthe otheraftersometime(Krishna,BhimaandArjuna).InSwargarohanarn,thereisnoPurappatu, ThecharactersperformingPurappatufortheplaysareasfollows : Play CharactersinPurappatu Avatararn BrahmaandBhumiDevi Kaliyamardanarn Krishna,Balarama,NandaandUpananda Rasakrida Krishna Kamsavadham KrishnaandBalarama Swayamvaram KrishnaandBalararna Banayuddham Krishna.Satyabharna and Garuda Vividavadham I.Balararnaandwives2.Krishna,Bhima andArjuna Swargarohanam N~ Concluding Rituals ExceptSwargarohanarn,allplaysend with Dhanasi.Thecharacters inthe lastsceneofthe play perform Dhanasi by dancing in a particular way accompanied by singing the lines starting withNarayana Narakantaka Narakaparayana in the fifth padam of the play Kaliyarnardanam.Thecharactersperforming Dhanasifortheplaysareasfollows: Play CharactersperfonningDhanasi Avataram Krishnaand Yasoda Kaliyarnardanarn Krishna and Nandagopa Rasakrida KrishnaandBalararna Kamsavadham KrishnaandBalararna Swayarnvararn Krishnaand Satyabharna Banayuddham Krishna, PradyurnnaandAniruddha Vividhavadham KrishnaandRukmini Swargarohanarn I\d 50 A. PURUSHOTHAMAN.A. HARII'DRANATH Afterthecharactersexitfromthe stage.aslokaissungasmangalam(Auspiciousend) Play MangalaSloka Avataram Kelilola(lastslokainAvataram) Kaliyarnardanarn Kelilola(lastslokainAvatararn) Rasakrida Daivereva(slokainRasakrida) Kamsavadharn Sandrananda(slokainRasakrida) Swayarnvararn Kelilola(lastslokainAvataram) .Banayuddham Kelilola(lastslokainAvatararn) Vividavadharn Sandrananda(slokainRasakrida) Swargarohanam Kelilola(lastslokainAvataram) The play is concluded by playing a couple of beats on the maddclom just as in the beginning. Some Featllres about the Performance TheactorsdanceandactbehindtheKaliVilakkuwhilethesingerssingstandingbehind thisisthe general nature of theplay.The leadsingersings,playing thegong. the second singerrepeatsplayingthecymbals.Accompaniedby suddhamaddalam, toppimaddalam andedakka,bothsingerssingtheslokasandpadamsofKrishnagitionebyone,once.Some padarns and slokasare sungmorethan once. Forexample, 5101:1s starting withAtha tou datha tau, Ghora tara kopa bhara (Swayamvaram), Dharani Ramaniya (Vividavadham). Allthe slokasand padams ofKrishnagiti arenot used for the play. By tradition manyare omitted. Therewasatraditionofactorssingingalongwiththesingersatthreeplaces(4):Onein Kaliyamardanam,pallavamofpadam5.jMtanayakaandtwoinRasakrida,pallavamofpadam 3,jayaiava ramaramana andsixslokasstartingwithPadoutou, Vaktram netra.Cillinam jagata. lhni manasaharini, Lavanvam tadavamaniyom and Sa strinam (2).Thesedays, theactorsdo notsing. Intheperformancespace,betweenthesingersandKali Yilakku.theactorsdanceandact wearingmulticolouredcostumes.Dancingandactingingeneral,donotconfirm10the"text' beingsung.butare accordingto ragas(tunes)andtalas(beats). In Krishnanattam, five types of facialmake ups, Paccha (Green).Pazhuppu (Orange). Kathi(Knife).MinukkuandKarl(Black)andmasksareused.Al'acchafacialmakeupisused forKrishna.Vasudeva,Kamsa,Nandgopa,Uddhava,Muchukunda,Dandavakthra, Rukrni, Arjuna, Jarasundha etc. A Kathi facial make up is used forbad butkingly characters (SankhachudainRasakrida,SisupalainVividavadham,BanainBanayudhham).Incidentally, inSwayamvarcm.SisupalaappearsaliPaccha.PazhuppuisforBalarama,SivaandBhima. ~Ijnukkuisforallwomen.Narada.Sandipani,Yavana,Kucela,etc.Thereisnofacialmakeup for Toddy Tapper and Kucela (Vividavadham). For Yasoda, Bhumi Devi, Radha and Satyabhama greencolouris applied onthe face andachuni is provided. Inearlierdays. DevakiandRukminiusedtohave chuniontheirface.These wereconvertedto MinuUu C-Q '. . :t... - Dharmaraja{Yamal Jambavun Ghanulamas Murasura 52 A. PURUSHOTHAMAN.A. HARl~DRANATH duringthetime ofA.C.G Raja Kari is forPutana (mask -Avataram) andthe hunterJara (Swargarohanam). Insomeplays,thesameactorappearsindifferentroles.Forexample.inSwayamvararnthe sameactorappears asSandipaniandRukmini.TherolesofDhantavakthraandSatrajitare played bythesameactor.TherolesofUddhava,Muchukunda,SisupalaandRukmiarealso playedbyone actor. Masks in Krishnananam ColourfulmasksareusedinKrishnanattam, Play Masks Avatararn Brahma(4face).Putana(Black) Kaliyamardanam Bakasura(Bird).Brahma(4face) Rasakrida Nomask Karnsavadham Nomask Swayarnvararn Dharrnaraja(Green),Jambavan(whitemonkeyface) Banayudharn Murasura(5faces,alldifferent),Narakasura(RedBeard), Ghantakarna(twodifferent black),Sivabhutas(Black) Ylvldavadham Vividha(Black) Swargarohanarn Brahma(4face) Props Besidesbow.arrow,mace,sword,shield,lanceandchakra.Krishnanattamusesmanyitems andpropsfortheperformance.TobeatthechildKrishna.Yasoda takes arealstick!Dollsfor newbornbabies-blueforboy(AvataramandSwargarohanam)andorangeforgirl(Avataram). KaliyainKaliyamardanam(dollofsnake).AnanthaofSwargarohanam(dollofsevenhooded snake).branchofarealtree(Kaliyamardanam,VividavadharnandSwargarohanam)aresome oftheprops.Brahrna,Vishnu.SivaandBanahaveartificialanns.BakasuraandGarudahave paintedwings.Jambavan,tiredbyfightingwithKrishna,usesawalkingstick!Kucelacarries apalmleafumbrellaandwalksusingawalkingstick.InVividavadham.Yudhishtiruwashes the feet of Krishnaactually withwater! Later, Krishna washes the feet of Kucela. In Swayamvaram, Jambavan and Krishna tight using branches oftrees. In Vividhavadharn, VividaandBalaramadoesthesarne.InVividavadham,thetoddytapperbringsapotoftoddy and packet of pickles to Balarama. Krishna gives a signal to Bhima to kill Jarasandhaby tearing a leaf in two halves. In Swargarohanam, while Krishna sits partly hidden by the Thirassila belowatree.thehunterJara shootsanarrowatKrishna'sfeet. Tableaus In Krishnanattam,thereare some beautiful tableau.As theplay Banayuddham beginswith loweringofhandheldcurtainhalfway.athreeleveltableauisrevealed.showingGarud:1with green face, red beaks and wings on the ground level. Above Garuda. on middle level 54 A. PURUSHOTHAMAN.A. HARINDRANATH Satyabharna is seenwithgreenface bordered withchutti. Ontop level. Krishnais seen holdingaconch.AlavattomsareheldatthebackofKrishna'shead.Thisspectacularscene depictsKrishnaridingonGarudawithSatyabharnaonhiswaytoPragjyotishapura,thecity ofNarakasura. KailasainBanayuddhamisanotherbeautifulscene.KrishnagoestoKailasatomeetSiva. Asthehandheld curtainisremoved,Siva,Parvati, Subrahmanya and Ganapathiareseen. TwotinySivabhootas sitonthefloor. InSwargnrohanam. there are two breathtaking scenesof Vaikunta. Inthe first scene, KrishnaandArjuna visitVaikunta.VishnustandswiththesevenhoodedAnanthahovering overhiscrown,alongwithSriDevi.BhumiDevi,Siva.BrahmaandNaruda. In(helastsceneofSwargarohanam.VishnureclinesonAnantha.SriDcvi.BhumiDcvi. BrahmaandNaradaarepresent.SivaandGarudaareoneitherside.Darukasitsononeside andaparshadaontheother.Thesingersanddrummerssitoneitherside.Severaloillamps arelitinfront.Fumesfromtheburningincenseriseupcreatinganetherealatmosphere. Special Dance Compositions MullappooChuttal(AdorninggarlandofJasmine)isthemostfamousspecialdancecornpo sitionofKrishnanattarn(2).ThisisperformedinAvatararnbyKrishna,Balararna,Yasudaand RohiniandgopisandinRasakridabyKrishnaandgopis,KuttiEtuttuAttam(danceholding thebaby),twiceinAvataram,beforeandafterPutanamokshamandKuvalayapidamdancein KamsavadhamareotherdanceformsspecialtoKrishnanattam(5). Useo[ Thirassila(Curtain) ThehalfcurtainisintegraltothestagemechanismemployedbyKrishnanattaminitsattemptto representKrishna'sdivinity(5,6).InKrishnananam,thecurtainhasspecificandsubtlefunctions thaiareoftenimbuedwithmetaphysicalsignificance.InAvataram,whenGodspraiseKrishna. whilestillinDevaki'swomb,thestagehandsholdthecurtainatalowerlevelhidingtheactor's legs,makingthemmanifestfigures.Religioustraditionsholdthatthegods.evenwhentheyreveal themselvesdonot touchtheearthwiththeirfeel.InKaliyarnardanarn.Curtainisheldatalower level behind Krishna, suggestingthe representation of the water surface and facilitatingthe occasionalintroductionofKaliya.Inthescene whereKrishna stealstheclothesofGopis,the curtainisheldatalowerlevelsuggestingtheGopisstandinginwateruptotheirwaist ThecurtainalsofacilitatesimpressiveThiranottam forKamsa,Sankhachuda.Murasura andNarakasura. InSwargarohanarn,inthesceneof'Balararna'sdeparturetoheaven,thecurtainisheldhalf way suggestingtwo distinctspaces,earth and heaven.Whenlara thehunterapproaches Krishna.thecurtainisheldfulltodivide thestage intwoparts.Thefrontsidedepictsthe forestwherelara wandersand the backsidewhere Krishnasitsunder atree.AfterJara shootsanarrowhitting Krishna's toesprojectingbelowthecurtain.thecurtainislowered revealing Krishnainsittingposture. Mullappoo chuttal Rasakrida