Veeragase Kunita: Spine Thrilling Energetic Dance Of Veerashaivas

Add as a preferred source on Google

The elaborate arrangments, the eye scorching lights, the colourful tableaux, the vibrant costumes, and the vibrant colour of life, attracts thousands of interested visitors to the city of Mysore during Dasara. The eye-catching cultural dances are the attractions that keep the audience glued to their seats in wide eyed wonder. Veeragase is the dance, which, during its performance, introduces spine drenching energetic movements that elevate a folk-dance form to a classical extravaganza of a decadent martial art form. Based in Karnataka, on an episode from Lord Shiva's story, it captures the unbridled energy of the rural art form in a hair-raising manner. This dance is performed during festivals especially in the months of Shravana and Karthika.

Associated Legend
Veeragase is named after the Warrior god Veerabhadra who was created from the sweat droplet that slipped from Lord Shiva's forehead as a response to his beloved Wife's death in the homagni in her father's palace. Lord Shiva, was the husband of Sati, the daughter of King Daksha, who never gave the respect that Lord Shiva deserved and treated him in a condescending manner just because he applied sacred ashes on his body and wore the elephant skin as cloth.

Daksha called everyone to participate in his yaga, excepting his own daughter and her husband Lord Shiva. Much against Lord Shiva's wishes, Dakshayini or Sati attended the event and was insulted beyond tolerable limits. She jumped into the sacrificial fire and the news reached Lord Shiva. He performed the tandava dance that shook the three worlds with fright. Veerabhadra who emerged from Lord Shiva's sweat drops went on to kill Daksha but revived him at the request of his wife. This is the story which the dancers narrate along with dance movements in Veeragase.

Dancers And Costumes

Performers of this dance form are called Lingadevaru. Their ceremonial dance dress includes white traditional headgear and a bright red coloured dress, a rudraksha necklace, a hip belt namely Rudra Muke, a nagabharana ornament and anklets. Smearing Vibhooti on their foreheads, ears and eyebrows, they carry a wooden plaque of Veerabhadra in their left hand and a sword in their right hand. The Veeragase troupe usually has two to six members, a lead singer who narrates the story, one of whose dancers in the team holds a Nandikolu, with an orange flag waving at the top. They are accompanied by the percussion instruments called Sambal and Dimmu. Cymbals and shenai, are amongst various other instruments used. They pierce needles across their mouths during this event as a compulsory ritual.

The Veeragase traditional dance form is strictly meant for the Jangama tribe from the Veerashaiva community who are also known as Maheswars. Earlier on it was only men who used to perform this dance. Nowadays, as times have changed, even women have started participating in this dance performance. Veeragase dance is based on the Shaiva rituals and puranas. This dance form involves extremely vigorous body movements, which actually sap the energy. Since this style of dance is a dedicated ritual practiced by the Lingayat Community, there are not many training institutes to teach this art form.