How a 450-year-old dance-drama survives as an offering at Kerala’s Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple

Devotees offer various things to propitiate their gods varying from tiny packets of incense sticks to kilograms of gold. But at the famous Guruvayur Sri Krishna temple in Kerala the offering is as artistic as it can get – a classical dance-drama Krishnanattam, which is said to be 450 years old. The tradition of making this artistic offering is said to have begun in 1958.

The temple art portrays the story of Krishna in a series of eight plays. It was Manavedan (1585-1658), a zamorin of Calicut (today’s Kozhikode), who wrote Krishnageeti and later divided it into eight plays, namely Avataram, Kaliyamardanam, Rasakrida, Kamsavadham, Swayamvaram, Banayudham, Vividavadham and Swargarohanam.

It is believed that those who offer a day’s play to the god will be blessed with good fortunes. The story of Krishnanattam, however, doesn’t end with the special offering. The dance-drama is performed inside the temple in Guruvayur once it is closed after the night’s rituals. Devotees believe that lord Krishna himself comes and watches the play, and that’s why the dance-drama is performed only after the temple is closed.

The training and rehearsals for Krishnanattam are conducted in Kalanilayam, the place inside the temple dedicated for the purpose. The interesting part is that the training for the unique offering is given only for 41 days a year. The student is adopted into the troupe when he is three or four years old. Once adopted into the troupe, the student stays in Kalanilayam and learns the art form.

The one and only Krishnanattam troupe has been maintained by the Guruvayur Devaswom since 1958. C Sethumadhavan, a senior Krishnanattam tutor, told The Federal that the dance-drama thrives mainly due to the support of devotees who regularly offer various plays to lord Krishna. The trope also performs across temples in Kerala and even outside the state, he says. “We perform more than 100 plays a year outside the temple,” Sethumadhavan said.

There are more than 70 members in the Krishnanattam troupe in Kalanilayam today maintained by the Guruvayur Devaswom. Sethumadhavan said he joined the troupe when he was eight years old. “The situation was different those days. We had to strictly stay here and learn things under senior tutors. The facilities were less compared to what you get today. We couldn’t go to school. We had a teacher who taught us general subjects like mathematics, Malayalam and social studies. But I am happy because I enjoy what I do today,” said Sethumadhavan, who will be retiring from service in 2023.

As the name suggests, Krishnanattam is based on the tales of lord Krishna. There are costumes and headgears especially designed for the performance. As the first play “Avataram” talks about the birth of Krishna, children are recruited to the troupe to perform the role once every three or four years. The Guruvayur Devaswom advertises the vacancy through newspapers. “We recently received some 50 applications and we chose five children. They are undergoing training here. Food and accommodation are provided. The next recruitment will be after five years. Once they are recruited, they remain here forever,” he said. Even though Krishnanattam is performed in Sanskrit, it easily conveys to the audience mainly due to its simple dance and abhinaya (acting) when it comes to narration of stories.

While Maddhalam is the only percussion instrument used in Krishnanattam, costumes have undergone changes due to improvisation. Why does no one teach Krishnanattam outside the temple? “It’s part of the belief system associated with the Guruvayur temple. As an art form, it is taught only in Kalanilayam,” he added.

Ranjith Raj joined Kalanilayam in 2003. He has been doing major roles in various plays. “It’s always a great feeling to be part of a troupe like this. The Guruvayur Devaswom takes care of everything. After all, it is for lord Krishna we are doing it and it gives a special feeling,” said Ranjith Raj, a native of Thiruvananthapuram. The 27-year-old, however, said he lost out on basic school education since he joined Kalanilayam when he was only eight years old. “We had to stay here and undergo strict training. We were allowed to go home only during holidays. I couldn’t go to school. The situation has changed today. Even though the gurukula system exists in Kalanilayam, the children are allowed to go to formal school now,” he said.

People can make the offering of Krishnanattam by booking the performance in their name. A day’s booking costs Rs 3,000 to each devotee willing to make the offering.

K Ranganathan said he was undergoing a huge loss in his business when he booked a day’s play of Krishnanattam as an offering to lord Krishna a year ago. “I was undergoing depression due to loss in business. And I stopped interacting with people, including the members in my family. It was during this time, a friend suggested that I offer a day’s Krishnanattam to the god, which I did. Things started changing, and my problems were solved. Today, I am here to book another play,” said Ranganathan, a native of Kannur.

There are many like Ranganathan. A Aishwarya, another devotee, said she booked a day’s play to get her daughter a smooth sail in her examination. The system of belief varies from person to person. But for Sethumadhavan, it’s a busy time, as the annual 41-day-training is on in Kalanilayam. “We train the students during the month of August. The play will begin from September 1 in the temple. Other Krishna temples also invite our troupe to perform there. For us, the season is about to begin. So we are in the process of getting ready,” he said.