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In
Sangita Ratnakara, considered one of the most authoritative works on Indian
music, Sarangadeva says this of the veena: The wooden danda or stem is
Shiva, the string is Devi Uma, the shoulder is Vishnu, the bridge is Lakshmi,
the gourd is Brahma, the navel is Saraswathi, the connecting wires are
Vasuki, the jiva is the mon and the pegs are the sun. and so, the veena
is capable of bestowing all kinds of divine blessings.
("An interconnected World" by Ratna Rajaiah, The New Sunday Express, Aug 3, 2003). |
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King Rajasri Bhagya Chandra ruled Manipur from 1763 to 1798. The origins of many of the traditions of music and dance of Sankirtana and Rasa are attributed to him. To his successor Maharaj Chandrakriti (1850 - 1886) is attributed the authorship of Mridanga Sangraha which contains extremely valuable details of how to play the (drum) khol for Manipuri dance. |
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Nalacharitam by Unnayi Varier (1675 - 1755) was written as four parts, to be acted in four days. These four parts are the story of the four different stages of life of Nala who is the hero of the play. They are his marriage with Damayanti, their separation, Nala's alien life and their re-unification. |
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For the 4 dance dramas for which the Rajah of Kottayam created the choreography, the dancing and acting conventions were laid down by the Rajah with the assistance of a leading Kathakali dancer Chathu Panikkar from the then Cochin state. This was around 1645. Chathu Panikkar whose contribution was immense, died around 1715. |
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