Sri Sai Nataraja Academy of Kuchipudi Dance presented the story behind the birth of Ayyappa and how a temple came up in his name in Kuchipudi form. The production they staged at Thyagaraya Gana Sabha was rich in its stage work replicating temple atmosphere with steps at the sanctum sanctorum, an added attraction.
The theme behind the birth and growth of Ayyappa, who was earlier called ‘Manikanta’ was narrated interestingly. The story says the temple that exists now was built by the king at a place Manikanta’s arrow landed. The play also reveals the importance of wearing a ‘mala’ and about what is called ‘Jyothi Darshanam’ watching a star in the sky on the final night.
Script for the dance was penned by Bnim. The play opened with Pravesa Daruvu that gave hints of what would happen. The characters Rama Devi played — Mahishi and the queen were crucial roles to this drama. The ‘Pravesa Daruvu’, which opened the ballet gave hints of what was coming. The Daruvu ‘Siva Mohini’ a tell-all number was Rama Devi’s contribution. Portrayal of contrasting characters Mahishi and Queen, eliciting right emotions was a challenging task. Nivedita portrayed well the prime role of Ayyappa with care. Sadhvika as Vavar, a dacoit who comes across Manikanta and gets reformed and becomes care taker of the temple was well presented. Pallavi played brief role of Narada. Nattuvangam was by Renuka Prasad. Vocal support was by the three-member team of Srivalli Sarma, Mantha Srinivas and Pasumarthi Deepika. The orchestral support was by Sreedharacharya on mridangam, Saikumar on violin and Uma Venkateswarlu on flute – all seasoned artistes. Stage settings and special effects were by Surabhi Poornachander.
