Kathakali has never been short of stories to tell. From epics and Puranas to adaptations of Western literary classics, its repertoire has continually expanded to accommodate new narratives.
Now, a group of Kathakali enthusiasts in Tripunithura is turning to a less explored source of inspiration — the legends surrounding the town’s famous Krishna temple.
Titled ‘Poornathrayeesha Charitham’, the new Attakatha (Kathakali performance text) draws on two legends associated with Sree Poornathrayeesha Temple and its history. The production will be staged on the temple premises at 4pm on November 8.
While adaptations of existing stories are not uncommon in Kathakali, recent productions have ventured into diverse territory, including Western literary classics such as ‘The Old Man and the Sea’. This one, however, looks closer home, bringing local temple lore to the Kathakali stage.
One of the legends is associated with the Moosari Ulsavam celebrated at the temple. According to the tale, the idol of Poornathrayeeshan inside the sanctum sanctorum was once partially damaged.
A ‘Devapreshnam’ — an astrological ritual performed to ascertain the deity’s wishes — revealed that a new idol, made of panchaloha (a five-metal alloy), should be installed.
The then Cochin king entrusted the task of recreating the existing idol to the Moosari community of the region. An ardent devotee of Poornathrayeeshan, a Moosari took up the challenging assignment.
Despite repeated attempts, however, he failed to reproduce the deity’s form in the mould. With the king threatening him with execution if he failed to complete the task, the pressure mounted.
In his final attempt, the Moosari, with unwavering devotion, poured the molten metal into the mould and succeeded in creating the idol. Once the work was completed, he is said to have merged with the idol and disappeared. The Moosari Ulsavam is celebrated in recognition of his devotion and selfless act.
The second legend revolves around Santhanagopala Moorthy (considered granter of progeny and protector of children). According to temple lore, a poor Brahmin in Dwaraka once lost all his newborn children.
Arjuna promised to protect the next one, and vowed to end his life by walking into a fire if he failed. Yet, despite shielding the Brahmin’s house using all his mighty arrows, the newborn dies.
As Arjuna enters a fire, Krishna intervenes. He takes Arjuna to Vaikuntha, where all 10 children are safe. Vishnu then entrusts Arjuna with an idol of Santhanagopala Moorthy, which he later consecrates at Tripunithura.
These two legends form the core of ‘Poornathrayeesha Charitham’, bringing together temple lore, devotion and mythology in the new Kathakali composition.
“It is the result of the hard work of a group of people over the past three months,” says Kathakali exponent FACT Padmanabhan, who has been leading the team.
“From finalising the Attakatha to introducing variations in the costumes, everyone has worked to ensure that ‘Poornathrayeesha Charitham’ makes its mark in Kathakali.”
The production also departs from conventional visual treatments in its costumes. Viswakarmmavu, for instance, will appear in golden ornaments, while Moosari will be adorned in silver.
“The Attakatha was initially written by Ramesan Thampuran. The performance will last around five hours, with a total of 11 characters appearing on stage,” says Padmanabhan.
The cast includes Peesappilly Rajeevan as Arjunan, RLV Pramod as Naradan, Kalamandalam Manoj as Vadukarajav, Kalamandalam Arun Ramesh as Vadukarajan’s wife, Mayyanad Rajeevan as Pattamana Nambyathiri, Kalamandalam Radhakrishnan as Kuru Rajav, Pallippuram Jayasankar as Kuru Rajav’s wife, R V Sasikumar as Pangarappilly Moosari, Sadanam Vijayan as Moosari’s wife, Kottakkal Devadas as Viswakarmmavu and Dileepan Namboothirppad as Puliyannur Tantri.