Bharata Lila is an Indian

performing A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

form of

Ganjam district Ganjam is a district in the Indian state of Odisha. Ganjam's total area is 8,206 km² (3,168 mi²). The district headquarters is Chhatrapur. Ganjam is divided into three sub-divisions: Chhatrapur, Berhampur, and Bhanjanagar. As of ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. The plot is based on

characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to Theoph ...

of the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

, thus the name of the form. Because of the importance of a central character ''Duari,'' Arjuna's sentry, it is also called ''Duari Nata'' or ''Duari Llla''. The focal point of the plot is the story of Arjuna & Subhadra's romance, which is why it is also known as ''Subhadra Harana''. Apart from Ganjam, it is also performed in some parts in western Odisha. The play is known for its effective use of humour within the traditional storyline. A regular performance of Bharata Lila in the 21st century goes on for about 10–12 hours. In the last century performances used to last for a couple of days at a stretch. The ''badi'' is a performance method in Odisha's traditional artforms where opponents compete with each other. In urban settings, Bharata Lila performances are regularly condensed to just 2–3 hours owing to lack of time. The plot is based on Odia poetry written by the poet Dinabandhu Dasa, mostly in the ''chhanda'' form of

Odissi music Odissi music (, ) is a genre of Indian classical music, classical music originating from the eastern state of Odisha. Rooted in the ancient ritual music tradition dedicated to the deity Jagannatha, Odissi music has a rich history spanning over ...

. While Dinabandhu's version of the play was written only in the 19th century, older forms of the play used to be in vogue even before him. The subject matter has been dealt with extensively in Sarala Dasa's 15th-century Odia ''Mahabharata'' as well as Upendra Bhanja's ornate epic-poem ''Subhadra Parinaya''. Dinabandhu's narrative greatly derives from these retellings of the Mahabharata episode. Medieval Odia literature, including the Odissi songs of poets Dinakrusna Dasa, Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja, ''Kabisurjya'' Baladeba Ratha,

Gopalakrusna Pattanayaka Gopalakrusna Pattanayaka (Alternatively spelled Gopalakrishna, Pattnaik; Gopāḷakruṣṇa Paṭṭanāyaka, ; 1784-1862) was an Odia poet & composer of Odissi music. His Odissi songs in various traditional ragas and talas are widely sung acr ...

are also employed in relevant situations. Classical

is freely interspersed with folk music. The characters of Bharata Lila are

Arjuna Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɾd͡ʒun̪ə is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. ...

Subhadra Subhadra (, ) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is a princess from the Yadava clan and the sister of Krishna and Balarama. Subhadra married Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers and had a son named Abhimanyu. Sub ...

Satyabhama Satyabhama (IAST'': Satyabhāmā)'' , also known as Satrajiti, is a Hindu goddess and the third queen consort of the Hindu god Krishna. Satyabhama is described as an incarnation of Bhumi, an aspect of Lakshmi. She is the goddess and the per ...

from

, and a central character "''duari''" which is absent in the epic. The ensemble of Bharata Lila comprises a

mardala Mardala (, ) is a classical percussive instrument native to the east Indian state of Odisha, traditionally used as the primary accompaniment in Odissi classical music. The instrument is slightly different from other instruments (like Madal, Mrid ...

, gini, jodinagara, ghuduki and harmonium.

Citations

External links

* {{Odia culture Arts of Odisha Odia culture