NEW DELHI, Nov 30: The traditional 12-Day long “Kartik Dance,” a 379-year old festival in Nepal known for its rich cultural heritage, had to be reduced to two days due to the prevailing COVID pandemic situation.
Kartik Naach, based on the actions of Lord Krishna, is held every year in the month of Kartik of the Hindu calendar at the historic Kartik Dabali (a traditional stage) at Patan Darbar Square in Lalitpur, Nepal.
The traditional dance is story-telling through dance and music. This year the annual dance drama due to the Covid-19 pandemic took place on Friday and Saturday for two days.
This year the Varah avatar, and Narasimha avatar of Lord Vishnu was depicted in the dance drama.
The Spiritual dance in a classical story format is perceived as the triumph of good over bad honouring Lord Kartikeya and is, presented in an episodic style. It is the narrative of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and the Swasthani, two major Hindu scriptures.
King Siddhi Narsinh Malla of the Mallya Dynasty is credited with launching the dance drama during his reign 379 years ago in the 17th Century. The dance drama is, thought to have been performed to provide moral lessons to his subjects through entertainment.
Each year the area is thronged by revellers from various parts of Nepal to watch the performance. The length of the show has varied from a week to a month due to various constraints so far but for the first time reduced to mere two days this year.
(Venkatesh Iyer)
