It is believed that King Siddhi Narsingha Malla of Lalitpur started the Kartik Naach in Nepal Sambat (year) 762. Historians assume that the king decided to start the festival following the advice from his teachers Hari Bansa Rajopadhayay and Bishwanath Upadhayay to celebrate the completion of Krishna Mandir, the temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, situated inside the Durbar Square.[break]
“The festival is a celebration of art, dance and the divine,” says Prakash Dhar Sharma who comes from the lineage of Hari Bansa Rajopadhayay.
When King Siddhi Narsingha Malla started the festival, it lasted for five days. Later, his son King Sriniwas Malla added satirical acts to the festival called “Batha Pyakha” and extended the festival to 15 days. King Yoga Narendra Malla, son of Sriniwas Malla, further extended the festival to be celebrated for a whole month. The Kartik Naach was then celebrated for a month every year for 350 years.
Then in 1951, due to political changes in the country, the Kartik Naach celebrations were cut down to only two days and this continued till 1981 when the locals took initiative and formed Kartik Naach Prabandha Samiti, an organization dedicated to the festival. Through their efforts and help from the government, they were able to revive the festival, extending it up to eight days.
“After the political movement in 1951, the responsibility of the festival was transferred to the then Machhindra Guthi in 1952. The Guthi then transferred it to Lalitpur Nagar Panchayat in 1962. Then the Nagar Panchayat looked after the festival until the Prabandha Samiti stepped in,” says Hari Man Shrestha who was one of the locals to take initiative to revive the festival and is currently the coordinator of the Prabandha Samiti that organizes the festival.
The festival generally starts on the sixth day of the month of Kartik in Hindu calendar, the name of the festival thus derived from the month it is held in. On the first three days of the festival, the Batha Pyakha is performed. On the fourth day, a myth regarding war between Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva is depicted in a dance form. Devi Naach, is performed on the fifth day. It depicts the war of Lord Krishna with Banasur and Lord Shiva, among other stories. The sixth day’s performance is Jalasayan, in which Lord Vishnu is depicted lying on the Ananta Sesa, in the cosmic ocean.
On the seventh day, the folklore based on Barah Avatar is performed through dance. The Barah Avatar is Lord Vishnu’s reincarnation as a boar to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who carried the earth in the bottom of the cosmic ocean. The Barah Avatar, after claiming victory over the demon, had repositioned the earth to its original orbit.
The dance of Narsimha Avatar is performed on the eighth and last day of the festival. This dance also follows the folklore concerning Lord Vishnu’s reincarnation as Narsimha to defeat Hiranyaksha’s brother Hiranyakashipu.
The highlight of the festival, however, is the Narsimha Dance. Sharma says that it was Hari Bansa Rajopadhyaya who was the first to impersonate Narsimha and had choreographed the steps of the Narsimha dance. His descendants still impersonate Narsimha in the dance. Sharma’s son Pratap Dhar Sharma has been participating in the dance every alternate year since 2001.
Likewise, the Chitrakars residing at Nawa Kawa of Patan, which at present is known as Sundhara, impersonate King Hiranyakashipu in the dance. Maniklal Chitrakar is regarded as the most accomplished dancer, still remembered by his contemporaries. He is also remembered for his contributions to revive the festival after its dire period in 1951. His grandson Kiran Chitrakar has been impersonating the demon since 1999.
Photo Courtesy: Pratap Dhar Sharma
The Narsimha dance has to be performed on the 13th day of Kartik. “It’s the Narsimha act that decides the days for other performances. Sometimes, one or two performances are eliminated in order to have Narsimha Dance on the specified day,” says coordinator Shrestha.
“The dance was also significant as people from different castes used to play specific characters in different acts. Even the king himself played a character in Batha Pyakha. It was like a medium for the king to communicate with his subjects,” says Sharma.
He also adds that though Rajopadhyays, Chitrakars and Shresthas still play the same characters, others don’t have such specificity nowadays.
“We gathered both old and new performers after the Samiti took charge of the festival and included everyone who was interested to perform rather than constricting it to certain communities,’ says Shrestha. But he adds that some specific dances are still performed by particular clans, as they carry certain significances.
The festival also accompanies different hymns along with the dances. There are certain music and beats to the different performances that are played by an ensemble of musicians with traditional Newar instruments. Khin, Damo Khin, Jo Nagada, Ponga, Muhali, Mridanga, Jhyali and Tan are the traditional instruments used during the performances.
The Samiti is responsible for coordinating the musicians and dancers. The rehearsals start one or two months prior to the festival.
“The Kartik Naach is one such heritage that, though it had run through its grim course, has never been discontinued since its inception from the Malla era,” says Shrestha. It is also believed to be the longest dance festival held in Nepal. This year, the festival starts on November 19.
The performances start late in the evening with locals gathering around the stage and securing their places before the show begins. Amidst the huge audience, the performers dance, bringing the stage to life. Many people believe that the costumes and masks give the actors a divine energy (called ‘siddhi’) and thus they exhibit spectacular performance skills. But even non-believers in myths and legends are enchanted by the brilliant show which in no way seems like practiced acts.
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