Table Of ContentAbhinaya in KUfiyaHam
D.APPUKUITA1'-/NAIR
Here are some instances of the act of elaboration employed in Kuliya\l>ID
performances,
I. ThefirstexampleistakenfromTaparisamvarana,wheretheelaborateabhinaya ofa
singleslokaisgivenbelow:
iiriiddfltarncaladalaputeirdlrghikapadminina
-mardhonrnllanmukulanayaneih prasphuratbhfngatareil)
tucchlkurvartuhinakanikajjjakamepurasta-
;-davirbhiitam kirananikareirarnbaradarkabimbam
Thissloka describesadreamthatKingSamvaranahappened10 seeatnight, whenhe
meditatedonSunGodwithgreatdevotion. "AIthattimetheSunGodappeared.Whenthe
dew-dropsstuddedonthelotusesweredestroyed,thelotuses[padmiml bloomed[opening
the eye-lids thaI are lotus petals] and gave freedom of movementto the dark bees
imprisonedinthem[metaphoricallysuggestsmeaningful glancesfrom darkeyes]".
Nowletusseehowtheelaborateactingisdone(marnapurastatambaratarkabimbam
avirbhiitam): In front of me, from the sky, the disc of theSun appeared. Because I
~o,:,hippedtheSun,hewaspleased,andappearedbeforeme.Everyonefeels thattheSun
"infrontofme" "infrontof me". Is thatreallyso?Notso(mamapurastai).Heaid
IS
appearinfrontofmealone.Coulditbethemoon,sinceheappeared atnight?No.Why?
(Dirghikapadmininamardhonrnilitamukulanayaneih3rlidr~tarn) Thelotusesinthatpond,
onseeingtheirhusband-the sun-nearby,givehimlovingglances withtheirhalf-open
eyesthatarebuds.Arelornsesexactlysimilar10eyes?Yes.
(Caladalaputeih). They havelidsthatarepetals,softlyflunering inthebreeze.How
else?(Prasphurat bhrngatareihj-s-withfluttering pupilsthatarebees.Theyglance with
sucheyes.Howisthat?Showingthatthelotuses,withtheSun'sraysonthem,bloomand
sparkle,theactoradoptsthecharacteristicstanceofaheroine.Whileglancinguplovingly
attheSun,seesthattheSunis about10 set,Alas!Ourhusbandisgoing awayfrom us;
now theevilmoonwillcome andtrouble us.In sadness,prays: "0 husband,pleasedo
notleave usandgoaway." ThenastheSun;"Dearlotuses,donotworry. I'llcomeback
'?On.Sleepwell,incomfort" anddisappears,whenthelotusesaregriefstricken..Atth~t
tnne, themoonrisesand spreadshisraysallover.Seeinghiswives, thewater-lilies,10
gnef,hesays;"Whomadethemsad?TheSun;justwatch.Iamgoing10takeawaythe
splendour ofhiswives,thelotuses," andproceeds torobthemoftheirglowbyraining
deW-drops.Thelotusesarepaleandsad.Thenseeingthesunrising, theybecomeradiant
56 D.APPUKIfITANNAIR
onceagainandglanceathimlovingly,withhalf-e-openeyesthatarebuds.Now,doesthe
Sunlovelotuses?Yes.How?(Kirananikareihtuhinaka~ikajalakamtucchikurvat)withhis
rays,he destroysthedew-drops which made the lotuseslose their lustre, andthusmake
themhappy.Fromallthis,itisclearthat itistheSun'sdisc thatappearedbeforeme.
2. The next sloka is from Nagananda in which Prince Iimutavahana, in love with
Malayavati,suggestshislove-lornstate:
Nt~kimnanisahsaSfuikarucayo, naghriitamindivaram
kimnonmilitamiilatJsurabhay~sodhah pradosanilah
Jhamkarahkamaliikaremadbulihamkimvamayanasruto
nirvyajamvidhureisvadhlraitimamkenabhidhatte bhaviin
("Did[notbravemoon-litnights, unbearableforlovers in separation?Didn't Iinhale
the fragranceof water-lilies, which intensify desire? Didn't I suffer the fragrance-laden
breezecomingfromfull-blownjasmines?Didn'tIhear thehummingofbees intheIOlUS
ponds?Dearfriend,evenaftersuffering allthis, which isunbearableto separated lovers,
whydoyoucallmeacoward?")
Now the enactment (maya nisah nitah kimna): Didn't I suffer nights? For separated
lovers.griefintensifiesatnight.Sufferingthatgrief.Imanagedthroughthe night.Thisis
not an easy task at all. How are nights? (sasiiJ1karucay~)--radiant. because of the
presenceofthemoon. Howisthat?Aftersunset,themoonrisesinthewest,spreadsits
rayseverywhere andshinesbrightly.It looks like this:the fisherman (that isthemoon).
inordertoattractthevanity(thatisfish)ofwomen.climbsinto aboat(thatisthewestern
mountain)andspreads his net(thatare the rays) in the pond (that is the earth)allover.
How is Ihat? The moon-fisherman sees the women happily whiling away time inthe
companyoftheirhusbands.Whenadamsellooksat her husband, shesees thatthereisa
tinge ofcollyriumonhischeek.She suddenlygets up,thinking:"Why is this? Hemust
havekissedanotheroneinher eye,and thecollyrium must havespread intohischeek.I
will not touch him now", and turns back on him. Seeing the anger. the husbandsays:
"Lovely one, why did younow get angry. without any cause? I have done no wrong."
Then saying"cruel one. I know all aboutyourdeceit. Go back to the same personwith
whom you had a nicetimebefore".she gets more angry.The moon sees allthewomen
InangerIndifferentways.Seeingtheprideofthesedamsels(likefish),he wantstocatcb
allthesefish.Gettingreadytodoso,hetakesuptherays(thatarelike nets),getsintOtht
boat (that is the Rising Mountain), spreads the net on the pond (that is the earth)and
catchesthefish (theprideof women).Seeingtherising moon, the womenbecOmelove
lorn;theydiscardtheirprideandembrace theirhusbands.Thusthe moon andhisraysare
capable ofintensifying the pangs of love in the hearts ofeveryone. Seeing thesemoo~'
raysISterribletotheeyes.Sufferingallthat,Isomehowmanaged throughthenight.DonI
youknow?Ismycouragecapableofonlythismuch?Youmayaskso;theansweris,"00".
ABHL'>:AYAL"IKlJTIYAlTAM 57
(indivaram aghratam kim na)- Didn't I inhale the fragrance of the water-lily! The
fragrance of awater-lily causes anguish in the heart of a separated lover.Didn't I suffer
that?Then(pradosanilahkim na sodhah):The softtouchof breeze,which startsfrom the
southernregion, travels everywhere and blows during the twilight hour,causes griefto
people.I did not complain,but suffered it in silence. Thus the nights and dusk-time are
oppressive; but are days happier? No. (kamalakare madhulihiim jhamkarah kim
varnayanahSrutah):Didn'tIhearthe hummingofthe bees inthelotuspond? Thelotuses
bloominthemorning.Atthattime,the bees approachthem, withahummingsound.That
sound appears as though saying: "0 lotuses, did you have a good sleep?" With these
words,the bees enter the lotuses accompanied by their wives, suck in the nectar, get
intoxicatedandmaking ahumming sound,fly about indifferent directions. Thissoundis
similar to the stringing of Kama's bow, and the sound is unbearable to lovers in
separation.Iwasnot strongenoughtobraveit?Notreally.IkeptlisteningtoitTherefore
Ihaveacquired allthe qualities characterising abrave man.(Nirvyiijamvidhuresvadhira
itimamkenabhidhattebhavan):BraveasIam,whydoyoucallmeacoward?There isno
reasontodoso. It isonly yourimpudence.
Asareply,the Vidushaka says:
nit3l)kim prthumodakena divasiiniighriitamammiirnpajam
kimnonmilitacarujirakarasah sodhascapakanilah
silkarahkatukum varuttukariyilkktittunnaneram sruto
nirvyiijam vidhunesvadhiraiti miimkenabhidhattebhaviin
Thenthe Vidushakarecites the followingversein Malayalam:
Vii!appajailllal valiyo cila kanrnanappam
varkkunnasitkkarananadarnatuttukelppan
piilkkanniyiiruvatu piirtrupurattirippan
fianallayojagati dhirarilagraganyan
Thusthe Vidushaka also became abrave man.
Theenactment of these two slokas have beencited here only to provide an instance.
Manystokashave the same,method ofelaborate acting.
FromMargiSouvenir1976,Tri~'andrum.
TranslatedfromMalaya/ambySudhaGopalakrishnan.
Purvaranga in KiitiyaHam vis-a-vis Natya Sastra
D.APPUKUTTA."INAIR
ThePurvarangainNatyaSastrahasnineteencomponents.Theyare:
I. Pratyahara; Theseatingof the instrumentalists.This pleases the Yatudhanas
andNagas.
2. Avataranam: Theseatingofthesingers.ThispleasestheApsaras.
3. Arambham: Thebeginningof Alapbysingers.This pleasestheGandharvas.
4. Ashravana: Thetuningofthedrums.ThispleasestheDaityas.
5. Vakttapani: Theplayingofthewindinstruments.Thispleases theDanavas.
6. Parighattana: ThetuningoftheTantiVadya.Thispleasesthe Rakshasas.
7. Samghotana: Theplayingofthedrum.TheGuhyakas willbehappy.
8. Margasaritam: The playing of the Tantivadya with Avanaddha Vadya. The
Yakshaswillbehappy.
9. Asaritam: ForseparationofKalaandApta,The Yakshaswillbehappy.
(The above are all Nirgita and behind the curtain. Remove the
curtainandthen:)
10. Anysong: InpraiseofGod.TheDevaswillbepleased. .
II. Vardhamanaka: TandavaDance.Rudraandhisfollowerswill behappy.
12.Urthapana: SingingtheNandi.Brahmawillbepleased.
13. Parivamana: TheworshipofDikpalas.Dikpalaswillbehappy.
14. Shushkavakrishta: SingingoutwiththePitruswillbehappy. .
15.RangaDwara: Firstpresentationof VacikaandAngikaon the stage. Visnuwill
behappy.
16.Chari: LasyatorepresentSringara.Parvatiwillbehappy.
17. Mahachari: TandavatorepresentRaudra,The Bhuta-Ganas willbehappy.
18. Trigata: ThedialogueofVidushaka,SutradharaandPariparsvika.
19. Prarotana: Praisingthekavyaprayoga-siddhibyreason andlogic.
Letus nowfindout, how far the kriyamsa(Action) in Kutiyattam conformstothe
above.Inthi~c~ntext,wemustbearinmindthatKutiyattambyandlargeisatemplealto
performedwithinthewallsofthetemple.Sotheperformancehasitslinkswiththetemple
andeverykriya(action)hasabearingonritualandhasasymbolicsignificance.Thestyle
ofpresentationisthusmoreinthenaryadharmipattern,inallthefourtypesofabhinaya.
morethanisenvisagedinNatyaSastra.Theperformersof Kutiyattam learntheartfrom
theirGurusmorebyprayogathanbysiddhanra. Theyneverbothertolearnthenamesof
numbersorclassificationofthevariousbhavas,rasasorhastasorkaranas,buttheyleam
the.art with devotionand in that processacquirea chaitanya which pervades alltheir
action.
rURVARASGALo,;KUTlYAITA.\l 59
InKupyanamtherearethreepartiestothe performance:the Chakyarwhotakesthe
male roles in the drama and is the leader; the Nangiar who takesthefemale roles or
accompaniesthe performancerecitingcertainspecifiedstanzasandinvocationsongsand
playsthecymbals,markingrhythm;andthe veryimportantNambiarwhoisinoverall
charge of costumes, make-up, stage arrangements, i.e, aharya and is the main
instrumentalistwhoplaysonthemizhavuorcopperpotcoveredwithleather.
These persons, after their purifying bath, make obeisance to thetemple deity;then
arrangethestageintheKuttampalamwithdecorationsofplantain,tendercoconutleaves,
paddy,etc.andthetraditionalbigbronzelamp;makeobeisancetotheGurusandproceeds
tothesanctumsanctorumofthetemple,fromwheretheflameiscarried lightthelamp
(0
onthestageandtheNepathya.
IntheNepathya,ashtamangalya,andauspiciouscongregationofmaterialslikepaddy,
rice, betel leafetc., is placed in front of the lampand theperformer sitscross-legged
facing eastwards and gets ready for the make-up after worshipping his preceptors,
Ganapati,Sarasvatiandthefamilydeities.Hetakesaredclothandtiesitaroundthehead.
Next,hemakes markswithghee onhisforehead,nose,chin,bothcheeks, again onthe
forehead,noseandchin,thusmarkingeighttimeswithghee,silentlyrecitingalltheletters
ofthealphabetforwardfrombeginningtoendandbackwardfrom endtobeginning and
thentheUpasana mantras.Bytouchingtheeightspotsontheface withgheebyreciting
the mantras, heinvokestheAshta siddhis,theEightDivine Attributes; anima, mahima,
loghima,garima,eesitwam,vasitwam,praptiandprakasyam.Therecitationoftheletters
ofthealphabetgiveshimclarityinpronunciationandintonation, inhisoraldelivery. He
thenspreadsgheealloverhisfaceandthenappliesthenecessarymake-uponthefaceand,
afterwearing thecostumes, ornaments andheadgear orcrown, getsready togotothe
stage.
Inthemeanwhile,theNambiartakeshisseatbehindthemuhavu,soundsitandplays
itfora while. This is called mtzhavu ochihapeduttal or sounding thedrum, and is
intended 10 announce the commencement of the play. After this, there is Ganapati
Nivedyamconsistingofofferingoblations10Ganapati.Thisisdonebythechiefpujariof
thetemple.It isintendedtowardoffallobstacles.
TheNangiarnowcomestothestageandtakesherseatonawhiteclothspreadonthe
right-hand side with the cymbals placed thereon. The Nangiar recites Akkitta,a
devotional song, to the accompaniment of the mizhavu; in which a special rhythmic
patterncalledgoshriisplayed.TheAkkitlapraisesSiva,SaraswatiandGanapati,
Thedrumming andsingingstopandtheNambiarnowcomes forward tothelampon
thestage,and,sprinklingholywaterforpurification,recitesastanzareferringtotheplay,
makingobeisancetothehero.Thisisnotfromthetextoftheplayandiscalled'Arangu
tali'slaka. Probably this correspondsto the Nandiwhichdoes not find a placein the
dramatictextofBhasa,
Thecurtain is nowheld andthe mizhavustartsplayingadifferentrhythmicpattern.
The .sUtradhara enters the stage (Nandyante tarah pravisali Sutradha.ra). Behi?dthe
Curtain, hefaces the mizhavu with his back10 the curtain makes obeisance10 It, and
perfo,nnsseveralcarisendinginpanchapada-vinyasa,duringwhic~heturns:mdfaces~e
CUrtain,Thecurtain is now removed andwe findSutradhara WIth a smilingface, his
60 D.APPUKUTIANNAIR
eyebrowsandcheeksvibratingwithhappiness, hishands symbolicallyfull offlowers.He
offersflowers tothe stage andprostrates.
He then performs puja of the deity. This is done without any flowers or flameor
utensils,butpurelysymbolicgestures. Itisasfollows: "Isee beforemeall thingsrequired
forthepuja.Letmenowstartthepuja."
Hetakes hisseaton thefloor, takesthe spouted vessel calledkindi, worships it,takes
theconch and its stand, worhips them, takes sandal paste and flowers and then fillsthe
kindiwithwaterandworshipsitagain.Hethenpourswaterintotheconch,washesit,then
invokesDevaGangaintothewaterintheconchandworshipsit.ThisTirthaorholywater
is sprinkled on every object. He then propitiates the self and offers Naivedyam to
Ganapati,invokesGoddess Saraswati from the face ofBrahma to the Lotus Flowerand
worships withflowers andfood.
Hethenseeshisconsortreturning afterherbath. He gives flowers and sandal-pasteto
her. Then he offers pushpanjali to the gods of heaven and prostrates. His face beaming
with happiness, the Sutradhara then expresses his thoughts: "Ha! Ha! I feel so happy.
Gettingupearlyinthemorning,1havefinished mypurificationbybathingandcleansing,
mypujaandfood.Letmenowgothe Rangasala."
He proceedsto the ranga or stage and sees several Brahmins. He depicts several
Brahminsbytheirgait. Howare theseBrahmins? Possessingapure,austere, prestigious
cultureandheritage,andengaged inShad-karmasand well-versed in Vedas ans Sastras,
these venerable Brahmins have abrightness of their own. He plucks flowers andoffers
themwithgreatrespect andsays:"0GreatBrahmins! letthe Lord ofthe three worldsSri
Narayana, bless you. How is this Narayana?" He signals the stoppage ofthe muhavu
playingandrecites astanzalike thefollowing from BalacharitaofBhasa(Inthecaseof
otherplays,her~citestheSutradhara stanzaoftheconcerned work):
Sankha ksiravapuhpurakrtayuge
namnatunarayana,
stretayam tripadarpitatribhuvano
visnuhsuvarnaprabhah
Diirvasyamanibhah saRavana vadhe
Rame yugedwapare "
Nityam yonjanasannibhal)kaJiyuge
val)patudamodaral).
(Please notethatthecontentofthis stanzaofBhasa does not exactlycorrespondtothe
relevantpassages inBhagavata).
. He recites the stanza and enacts it by means of gestures. He repeats "Damodarah
rutyam val)paru''.
Then startstheNityakriyaconsistingofseveralcarisofthetypescalleddhruvam, ceria
pakkam,and valiapakkam.There are special rhythmic combinationsof footsteps setto
theaccomparumentonthemizhavu. Afterthis,theNangiar singsfourstanzaswhichare
PURVARANGAINKUTIYAlTAM 61
dancedbytheSutradnarainasequencecalled bhramari.Thestanzasare:I. Kshirasagara
phenaetc.;2.Kunda NirmalaMandahasaetc.: 3.PankajaksaSaroruhaetc.:4.Nirrnalaya
Niramayayaetc.Following this,theNangiarsingstwo versesinpraiseofDeviandSiva.
1.AmbikeGirlje etc.;2.AdrimaVidruma LalitaPadametc.
Then without any singing, the Sutradhara, by means of a dance sequence with
gestures,describes Siva and then Parvati from head to feel.This is called 'Siva Parvati
Kesadipadavamanam.' This is followed by another prayer,recited bythe Nangiar and
danced by the Sutradhara in praise of Siva: "Mara Sarira Vinasa Karame" etc. The
Ashtadikpalaka vandanam is next performed, with the Nangiar singing the praise
"Viswajanadhipa" andthe Sutradharaoffering obeisancetotheeightdirectionsbydance
andgestures.The Sutradhara continues this with thegestural-dance worshipofBrahma,
Vishnuetc.
Thelastitemis a dancewherethe Sutradhara,by meansof gestures,worships allthe
beings in Heaven, Earth and the Netherworld. He dances, offering pranams by
symbolically offering flowers to the Devas, Rishis, Siddhas, Charanas, Kinnaras,
Vidyadharasof Heaven, the Brahmins,Kshatriyas,Vaisyas,Sudras, BirdsandAnimals
oftheEarth, theAsuras, Serpents, Grass, etc.down totheantsofthe Netherworld.The
Sutradharathenretires.
From the above, we understand that with emphasis on rituals, and on symbolic
representation by gestures, the Purvaranga of the temple-based Kii!iy.garn type of
presentationofSanskritdramasdonotfollowmanyoftheitemsspecifiedinNatyaSasrra.
Kii[iy.!!arnis dominated by rituals and nar)'adhanni, much morethancontemplatedin
NatyaSastra, whether it be vachika;angika. oraharya abhinaya. Pleasenotethateven
the application of ghee on the face before makeup, with thechantingof mantras is an
attempttoimhibethe 'Ashta-siddhis'.
In Bhasa's rupakas, the dramatic text starts with "Nandyante tatah pravisati
SUlradhara/.l." The text does not containanyNandislokaorstanzaasintherupakasof
KaIidasa, Bhavabhuti or any of the others. So there is an argument that the Nandi,
envisaged by Bhasa is the atodya vadya. But in Kiitiyagam. theArangu talisloka (the
stanzarecited forpurifyingthestage) isconceivedasNandisloka andtheNambiar,who
recites it, as the Nandi Sutradhara. The Sutradhara, here presented, is the Sthapaka
SUlradbara.
We willconclude this with a short comparison of the itemsin the Purva Rangaof
NaryaSastra with thoseofKii[iY'!tJllll. .
. 1. Pratyahara of Natya Sastra consists of seating the instrumentahs!;'- The
~nstrumenta1istsin Kiitiyattam are the mizhavuandcymbalplayers.Themithavu1Sfixed
InaParticularpositionintheKutapa Sthana intheKiittampalarn.TheNangyirwhomarks
rhythmwiththecymbals sitsonawhite clothspreadon therighthandSIdeofthestage.
2. Avataranam consistsinseating thesingers.Thesingeris thesame Nangiar who
playsthecymbals.
3.Thereis no Arambha in Kutiyartam as inNatyaSastra, since the so-called singer
d . ..
oesnotelaboratethe song, .
4.Themizhavu is nottuned andhenceAshrQl'ana ofNatya Sastra isalsoabsentm
62 D.APPUKUITANNAIR
Kiiriyiir1Jlrn.Themouthofthemiehavu iscoveredwithaparticulartypeof leatherwhich
issoakedinwaterthepreviousdayandputoverthe mouth.Ondrying,theleathergives
therequiredsound.Thereusedtobeasushiravadyacalledkurumkuthalsomethingofth,
shapeofashehna;toplayrhythmic tunesrather thanmelodious tunes. Thisisnotused
now.
5.Vaktrapani isnotrelevantnowin Kii\iyii!!am.
6.ThereisnostringedinstrumentinKiiliyii\\3ffiandhencenoParighattana.
7. TheSamghotana of Natya Sastra corresponds the miehavu ochchapeduual (the
soundingofthedrums)ofKutiyanam
8.Margasaritamand
9.AsaritamarebothabsentinKii!iya!!am.
10.TheVardhamanakamofNatyaSasrracan be seen in kriyas like ceriapakkamin
Kiiliya!!aIJ1
11.UtthapanammayhaveitscounterpartintheVandanastanza,"Sankhakshiravapu"
inKutiyattam.
12. TheParivarnanamofNatya Sastra corresponds to the dance Dikpala Vandanam
withthesong"Visvajanadhipa."
13.Shushkavakrishta isabsentinKii\iya\lam.
14.TheRangadwara occursasapart of the drama in the Vidushaka's Purappadfor
vachikaandNayaka'sPurappadu.
15. Chariand
16.Mahachari.thoughtheycannot beseenassuchin theSiva-Parvati Kesadipadam
de~criptjon, maychange in gestures. However. there is no tandava- lasya orraudra
.snngaradifferentiation.
17.Trigataand
18.PrarotanaareabsentinKii\iyii!!arD.
