Kathmandu The autumn chill is deepening and while life in and around the City is slowly moving towards rest, the courtyards around Mangalbazaar, Patan begin to glow with thousands of people to watch the array of dances during the 10-day Kartik Naach. The courtyards were destroyed in the April 25 earthquake and wooden planks support old monuments and houses around, but the fervour for the festival has not been destroyed. The desperate wait to see the dancers in their colourful attires and props goes on increasing when varieties of musical instruments are played by a group of musicians at the Kartik Dabali. People in search of the best place to get a good view of the dance are seen moving all around the courtyards. As the volunteers come carrying an oil container and some cotton wicks, one knows one’s wait is over — the show is about to start. Story behind Kartik Naach The show starts and there are dancers in colourful attires depicting varieties of Hindu gods and goddesses — Barahi, Ganesh, Shiva, Krishna among many others. Garlands of different sizes are worn by the dancers which steal the immediate attention of the onlookers. Kartik Naach was started by Siddhi Narsingh Malla in 1697 BS during the Malla era. This era was considered to be the Golden Age of Nepal as art and craft developed vastly during this time. There are a number of stories behind the legend of this dance festival. Some believe that the dance is performed to give honour to the Hindu deity Kartikeya, while some believe that it was king Siddhi’s love for deities, art, crafts and literature. However, Kiran Chitrakar, Chairman of Kartik Naach Samrakshan Samiti, opined that the dance is named as Kartik Naach as it is performed during the month of Kartik. “The dance was performed for two days then. But Shree Niwas Malla, Siddhi’s son, added seven more days to the festival in the year 1723 BS and later on Siddhi’s grandson, Yog Narendra Malla added 15 other days to the festival. The festival saw changes as time passed. Till 2006 BS the festival was organised for 27 days. But as there was a revolution in the country in the year 2007 BS, the festival was limited for two days. The dances of Barahi and Narasimha only were performed. This continued till 2037 BS. However, after 2038 BS the festival was extended to eight days with the help of different groups of people. In the year 2070 BS, it was performed for 10 days adding various dances that were performed during 2006 BS. However, in the year 2071 BS the same festival was performed for 12 days adding Usha Haran dance to it. However, this year the dance is limited to 10 days because of the number of auspicious days in the Nepali calendar, earthquake, economical problems, and the current fuel crisis,” informed Chitrakar. The dances of Narasimha and Barahi are being celebrated with great fun and vigour. The dance of Narasimha takes place every year on Kartik Krishna Paksha Trayodashi Tithi and this year the day falls on November 24. All other dances are performed till Purnima (full moon day). The dance is performed like a play where characters come on stage, dance, depicting their respective roles when the music is played. These dances have a story in them. Among them, Narasimha dance depicts age-old folklore where Narsimha defeats the evil. According to Bhagwat Purana, Narasimha is an incarnation of Lord Bishnu. This incarnation of Lord Bishnu is neither a man nor an animal. Rather it has a head of a fiery lion and body of a human. Hiranyakashyapu was a powerful demon king and had a son Pralhad. The son refused to acknowledge his father as supreme lord of the universe and claimed that Bishnu was all omnipresent and described the benevolence of the deity. The demon king became angry and tried to kill the son. All his efforts went in vain. One evening Hiranyakashyapu asked his son if his god was there in the pillar. Upon hitting the pillar, out came Narasimha, an incarnation of Bishnu, in the form of half-man and half-animal. The deity then killed the demon with his nails keeping him in his lap, standing on the threshold at dusk. “The dance tries to depict the same story of Narasimha killing the demon Hiranyakashyapu. The story tries to give a message that if one who tries to harm others and does negative things, s/he will be punished,” informed Chitrakar. The dances are a mixture of music, theatrical performance, songs and dance steps. All art forms are put together in it. Dance varieties Similar folklores are narrated through the dance form during the festival. Then there was Ushaharan Lila, a dance that describes the romantic relationship between Usha, the daughter of Banashur, a demon and Anirudra, Krishna’s grandson. This story is based on a dream of Usha. She dreams of a man. Chitralekha, an artist draws a portrait of the man and the search for the man starts. The man is later hypnotised to come towards Usha. The dance is then showcased in different episodes for five days. Majhi dance — men dressing up like fishermen, trying to catch fish is great fun watching. Similar varieties of dances such as Yuddha Kala, Devi Pyakha, Jal Sayan Madhu Kaitab Badh, Barah Avatar, Narsimha Avatar and Bastra Haran Lila too are major attractions of the dance festival. Dances depicting the stories of Sudama and Surdas are also the highlights. The dances not only give a reflection of the past but they are a mixture of the present and future. “The ancient stories are showcased with improvised dancing steps. The dances are comical, satirical and add humour as well. The dances and performances give a glimpse of contemporary society,” informed Bijay Tandukar, Joint Treasurer of Kartik Naach Samrakshan Samiti. The make-up and masks according to the character of the deities and demons add another charm to the dances. Myth behind the dance During the reign of king Siddhi, the city lost its lustre. People weren’t active and they avoided work. The king started comparing his state with others’. So, to restore the splendour of the city, the king consulted astrologers. They told him that the country will get its charm back only if a human will be sacrificed. But killing a human to make a deity happy was not a good idea. Upon consulting the gurus Haribansha Upadhayay and Bishwanath Upadhayay, a solution was brought out. Without spilling a single drop of blood they would invoke the deities through tantrik means. That’s why a dance was performed to give an impression of sacrificing a human; thus Kartik Naach. These days too when Narasimha touches the demon, he faints in real symbolising the narbali — sacrifice of human beings, as per Chitrakar. Baraha and Narsimha dances are the charms of the festival and it is believed that king Siddhi comes to watch the Narsimha dance. “This is why the golden window in Patan is opened once a year on the day believing that the king would get the best view of the dance from that window,” informed Uttam Ratna Shakya, Treasurer of Kartik Naach Samrakshan Samiti. Unity in Diversity The dance is performed by different castes of Newars. Sixty-five people from several Newari castes are taking part in the festival this year. There are 45 musicians and 10 helpers to make the festival a grand success. To pay their respects to the gurus of Siddhi Narsingh, a male member from Haribansha’s clan performs the role of Narsimha, male member from Chitrakar’s clan becomes Hiranyakashyapu, a male member from Bishwanath’s clan depicts the role of the one who brings consciousness to Hiranyakashyapu, Shresthas become Krishna and Baraha in the dance festival and the Tandukars become the service providers to the Hiranyakashyapu, as per Chitrakar. However, females have not taken part in the dance till now. “The dance is performed in the evening and women weren’t allowed to stay out late and this might be the reason why women do not take part in the performance. However, the situation might change in the coming days,” opined Chitrakar. Despite the difficulties Fuel crisis has made an impact on the festival too. People from all around the City would come to see the dance regularly but because of the current fuel crisis and a shortage of vehicles, many interested are not able to watch the shows. “Had it been normal times, all the open spaces around Krishna Mandir and the Durbar Square premises would have been filled with people but the crowd has decreased this year and we even haven’t allowed people to sit on the spaces of Krishna Mandir as the temple was damaged by the earthquake and we don’t want anything bad to happen because of a huge crowd standing on its premises,” shared Tandukar. Shresthu Shakya, a teenager from Patan, had come with his friends to watch the show. “I am a regular audience of this festival. It is great fun to watch varieties of dances. I also want to take part in the dance after my SLC,” Shakya opined. The dancers Chitrakar and Tandukar too have been dancing in the festival. Both of them are dancing in the festival this year too. It is Chitrakar’s 17th performance as Hiranyakashyapu. “I was curious when I was doing it the first time. I was afraid too. I even asked myself what if I die doing the role? The body starts to freeze when the Narasimha touches and I immediately become unconscious,” shared Chitrakar. Tandukar who plays a role of the one standing on the right side of Hiranyakashyapu feels that they have been able to preserve their culture. “When my fathers and uncles were doing the roles, I too wanted to be a part and these days we are here continuing the legacy while preserving our culture,” Tandukar added. Pratapdhar Sharma, who has been playing the role of Narasimha since his early teens, remembered his curiosity during his first performance. “There was stamina, confidence and curiousness then but these days I feel like I am growing old. Yet the confidence is there,” Sharma smiled. “Wearing the jama, bhoto, jabi, lachkan, mukut and make-up gives a splendour feeling that can’t be expressed in words,” Sharma added.