Story of Chitrangada, a Dance Drama Performance

For this week’s Thursday Challenge, I have a couple of pictures on ‘DANCE’. Several cultural programs are held during the Durga Puja festivals in Bangalore. Evenings are spent pandal hopping and at Jayamahal Pujo Pandal we happened to see this dance-drama of story of Chitrangada.

These are scenes from dance drama of Arjun and Chitrangada’s story.

Story of Chitrangada a Dance Drama Performance

Story of Chitrangada

Arjun, the 3rd Pandava prince, during their exile period reached Manipur, a state in eastern region of India. There he falls in love with the princess Chitrangada of the Manipur kingdom!

It is very much like a modern day musical with the story set to music and with the characters acting out the parts in dance. Tagore depicted Chitrangada as a brave warrior princess who rescues her kingdom from marauders. During Durga puja celebrations, one of the pandals here in Bangalore had put up this story of Chitrangada as a dance drama performance.

Story of Chitrangada a Dance Drama Performance

Rabindranath Tagore turned the story of Chitrāngadā into a dance drama in 1892. It is an one act play first published in English in 1913 by the India Society of London. He is instrumental in introducing and popularizing Manipuri Dance, one of the classical forms of dance of India, through Vishwa Bharati in 1918.

Rabindra Nritya is a special dance form created by him. He was of the opinion that every idea, that expresses the soul emotion, could be conveyed through dance dramas. The other two dramas that were presented by him were: Chandalika andShyama.

May 7th 2014 – Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s 154th birth anniversary!

Visit Victoria Memorial Hall, a Landmark of Kolkata
Ammavaru Temple in Jeevan Bima Nagar, Bangalore

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