Banayudham (Bana's Battle) is an Aattakatha (

Kathakali ''Kathakali'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kathakaḷi ) is a traditional form of Indian Classical Dance, and one of the most complex forms of Theatre of India, Indian theatre. It is a play of verses. These vers ...

play) written by Balakavi Rama Shasthri. It used to be a popular play in the southern (thekkan) style of Kathakali. The Asura king Bana, son of

Mahabali Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend in ancient texts suc ...

, has a thousand arms. His daughter Usha falls in love with Aniruddha, the grandson of Krishna. Bana discovers them together and imprisons Aniruddha. Krishna challenges Bana to a battle, in which he defeats Bana by chopping off all but four of his arms. An excerpt from the play, depicting scenes involving Usha and her friend Chitralekha, is often presented independently."Kathakali performance titled Usha-Chitralekha enthrals the audience" from "The Times of India", 16 September 2018
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References

Kathakali Indian plays Malayalam-language literature