: The sad, worn-out and lifeless precincts of the ancient Nataraja cave at Mogulrajpuram here came alive on Wednesday when a group of Indian classical dancers paid tribute to the Lord of Dance.
With their captivating presence, the dance performers — Hima Bindu Kanaj and Sindhuja (Kuchipudi), Mythili Anoop (Mohiniyattam), Mitha Vinay (Kathak) and Raisa Luther (Bharatanatyam) — lent a sacred touch to the dilapidated structure lying in utter neglect for decades.
The local public was taken by surprise to see the group of dancers clad in shimmering traditional Indian classical dance attire descending on the ancient cave craving for government’s attention.
Believed to be over 1,500 years old, the cave is under the care of the Archaeological Survey of India. A huge sculpture of Nataraja on one of the cave temples has weathered and chipped off almost entirely. Archaeologists say it is one of the earliest Nataraja sculptures in the country.
The Nataraja cave is the most famous of the Mogalrajapuram set of caves. It faces the road that connects the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway and Suryaraopet of Vijayawada town. The cave has a raised up ornamental plinth with a central balustrade.
On either side there are two niches in which horned dwaarapalas stand gracefully and the top portion of the façade has a mutilated figure of Nataraja over a dwarf image.
From the cave, the dancers headed to the Cultural Centre of Vijayawada (CCV), the CSR wing of the Malaxmi Group of Companies, and gave a scintillating performance.
Showcasing exceptional grace, their elegant movements caused a few moments of interaction generating sheer bliss and a spark of inspiration that touched the audience.
The CCV, in association with Natya Swara, organised the programme.
Vijayawada Central MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao inaugurated the programme..
Chairman of Malaxmi Group and founder of CCV Y. Harishchandra Prasad, CEO of CCV E. Sivanagi Reddy, Director (Development Control) CRDA V. Ramudu, Executive Director of Malaxmi Group T. Srinivas, and CEO of Malaxmi Property Venutres Pvt. Ltd. Sandeep Mandava were among those present.
