Krishnattam
Krishnattam is a temple art which is performed at Guruvayur Temple, it showcases the frolic and immortal nature of Lord Krishna. The whole performance is based on Krishnagiti, a text of slokas and padams in Sanskrit, composed by Manaveda, the Zamorin King of Calicut, in 1654. The dance potrays the story of Krishan as described in the Tenth and Eleventh Cantos of Srimad Bhagavatha, Mahabharata and Harivamsa is presented as song, dance and acting in a cycle of eight plays in eight days
The 8 main stages of lord Krishna's life, these 8 stages are:
- Avataram
- Kaliyamardanam
- Rasakrida
- Kamsavadham
- Swayamvaram
- Banayuddham
- Vividavadham
- Swargarohanam
All the dancers present the whole story with elaborate gestures and body movements. The music on which the dance is performed is sung by singers and each line is repeated several times to give the artists enough time to express themselves as vividly as they can.
The story behind this traditional dance form is One of the Zamorins, King Manavedan, contemporary of Saint Vilwamangalam, a scholar and poet, was an ardent devotee of Guruvayoor deity. He used to find time any how, even amidst the tight schedules of his governance, to spend few days in the devotion within the territory of the temple. Saint Vilwamangalam was very much in the temple and, it was well known that he was frequented by the sight of Sree Krishna alive.
Zamorin insisted the Saint with to show him also the lord live during one of the secretive appearance to him. Once, while walking out of the temple towards the 'Manjulal', the Banyan tree named after a virgin devotee unified with the Lord, both of them came across few children playing in the shade of the tree.
Vilwamangalam looked delighted and told "Lord, quick, look at these children touching my body". Lo! It was a blissful sight of lifetime for the King. He saw Krishna as a lad squatting on the floor frolicking and playing with other children.
The King could not believe his eyes for a second after witnessing the majestic thing. He lost control of himself, in a sudden leap and jumped to the midst of the children and in a whiff, embraced Krishna. The Lord himself taken aback, chastised him saying, "tut, tut, Vilwamangalam did not seek permission from me for this" and wriggled himself out of his caged arms. In the melee, the King managed to pick a peacock quill that the Lord had adorned his tuft with. The King regarded this as a precious divine gift of lord and made a crown in gold to tuck quill on.
By the fuss caused of divine touch, the King wrote a drama on Krishna and premiered it in Guruvayoor Temple. The actor who played the role of Krishna was adored with peacock quill crown. The legend is that the actor, the moment he wore the crown, slipped into a godly mood and acted in a superhuman manner making the play unexpectedly successful. Lord Krishna himself invested in him. That’s how this dance form came into existence.
