Kartik Nachh
The Kartik Nachh, a historical dance performed in the month of Kartik for about eight days is performed here in the Patan durbar Square, Lalitpur. The dance was started around 365 years ago by the then Malla king of Patan, Siddhi Narasingh Malla.
The dance-festival was started for peace and the prosperity for the people and the Nation. In those days Kathmandu , Lalitpur and Bhaktapur were the separate kingdoms.
Siddhi Narasingh Malla, the king in those days felt somewhat the people of his country not bright enough in comaprision to the Kathmanduites. King Siddhi Narasingh Malla was of religious nature and staunch devotee of Lord Krishna. So, he consulted the soothsayers and tantrik-priests. After careful observation they concluded that the city of Lalitpur was cursed. The solution to this problem, they suggested to the king Siddhi Nara Singh Malla, was to sacrifice a human.
The sacrifice was then inacted as Hiranya Kashyap badha - the killing of demon king by God Narashing - an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The killing used to be the real ritual and it couldnot be enacted for long as people started fearing to take part in the dance as a Hiranya Kashyap. To become Hiranya Kashyap meant to except death. Thus, after a decade when nobody wanted to take part in the dance by fearing death, the tantriks, through their tantrums started giving life to the actor who became Hiranya Kashyap and dies on the hands of Narashing. The practice continues till date as death ritual of the actor enacting Hiranya Kashyap is performed as if he were really dead after the badha. He then is again, brought to life with the help of Tantriks and they performe all the rituals as if he were a newly born-baby.
The seven days dance, started thus to sacrifice a human being, by Siddhi Narasingh Malla was later extended to 15 days by his son Srinivas Malla and then to one month by Yognarendra Malla, the latter’s son. Thus the three-generation of Siddhi Narashing Malla has contributed in this dance festival with added plays.
Srinivas Malla added eight more days of play, locally known as Batha, for the sake of entertainment to the public as there used to be no entertainment for the public in those days.
The dance comprises of social Bathas, the plays like labya layagu – the finding of the boyfriend of one’s wife, Kaula Khicha - cheating a wise man by the cons, Satiwanigu and the puranic plays like Madhukaitav Badha - the killing of Demons Madhu and Kaitav by the lord Vishnu, and Hiranya Kashyap Badha - the killing of demon king by God Narashing - an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The final two days of the dance festival is important and are performed on Kartik Sukla Dwadashi and Thrayodashi - the twelfth and the thirteenth day of bright half of Kartik, according to the lunar calendar.
The one month dance festival continued till the year 2006 BS but in the year 2007 BS due to various regions the tradition couldnot be continued. From 2008 BS to 2037 BS, the one minth dance was reduced to only two days for the final days as these were the important days of the dance.
From 2038 BS till 2058 BS the dance festival took place for eight days and in 2059 BS it was performed only for the four days. The dance festival is a unique in a sense that not all the dance performed here are mask dance, they is a mix of mask dance and non mask dance also.
The three cahrecter are important; Gan Daju - a clever man from Kathmandu , Sama Daju - a man form Bhaktapur and Batha Kija - a man from lalitpur. These characters represent the normal human beings but represent the three eternal periods, past present and the future. The are the metaphorical representation of Brahma, Mahesahwor and the Vishnu also, it is said.
The dance-festival was started for peace and the prosperity for the people and the Nation. In those days Kathmandu , Lalitpur and Bhaktapur were the separate kingdoms.
Siddhi Narasingh Malla, the king in those days felt somewhat the people of his country not bright enough in comaprision to the Kathmanduites. King Siddhi Narasingh Malla was of religious nature and staunch devotee of Lord Krishna. So, he consulted the soothsayers and tantrik-priests. After careful observation they concluded that the city of Lalitpur was cursed. The solution to this problem, they suggested to the king Siddhi Nara Singh Malla, was to sacrifice a human.
The sacrifice was then inacted as Hiranya Kashyap badha - the killing of demon king by God Narashing - an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The killing used to be the real ritual and it couldnot be enacted for long as people started fearing to take part in the dance as a Hiranya Kashyap. To become Hiranya Kashyap meant to except death. Thus, after a decade when nobody wanted to take part in the dance by fearing death, the tantriks, through their tantrums started giving life to the actor who became Hiranya Kashyap and dies on the hands of Narashing. The practice continues till date as death ritual of the actor enacting Hiranya Kashyap is performed as if he were really dead after the badha. He then is again, brought to life with the help of Tantriks and they performe all the rituals as if he were a newly born-baby.
The seven days dance, started thus to sacrifice a human being, by Siddhi Narasingh Malla was later extended to 15 days by his son Srinivas Malla and then to one month by Yognarendra Malla, the latter’s son. Thus the three-generation of Siddhi Narashing Malla has contributed in this dance festival with added plays.
Srinivas Malla added eight more days of play, locally known as Batha, for the sake of entertainment to the public as there used to be no entertainment for the public in those days.
The dance comprises of social Bathas, the plays like labya layagu – the finding of the boyfriend of one’s wife, Kaula Khicha - cheating a wise man by the cons, Satiwanigu and the puranic plays like Madhukaitav Badha - the killing of Demons Madhu and Kaitav by the lord Vishnu, and Hiranya Kashyap Badha - the killing of demon king by God Narashing - an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The final two days of the dance festival is important and are performed on Kartik Sukla Dwadashi and Thrayodashi - the twelfth and the thirteenth day of bright half of Kartik, according to the lunar calendar.
The one month dance festival continued till the year 2006 BS but in the year 2007 BS due to various regions the tradition couldnot be continued. From 2008 BS to 2037 BS, the one minth dance was reduced to only two days for the final days as these were the important days of the dance.
From 2038 BS till 2058 BS the dance festival took place for eight days and in 2059 BS it was performed only for the four days. The dance festival is a unique in a sense that not all the dance performed here are mask dance, they is a mix of mask dance and non mask dance also.
The three cahrecter are important; Gan Daju - a clever man from Kathmandu , Sama Daju - a man form Bhaktapur and Batha Kija - a man from lalitpur. These characters represent the normal human beings but represent the three eternal periods, past present and the future. The are the metaphorical representation of Brahma, Mahesahwor and the Vishnu also, it is said.
The music plays important role in the whole dance process. The musical instruments are Khie, Jhyali and Ponga.
