Evolution of the Sanskrit Stage

Author(s): N P Unni
Publisher: Z_Rajendrasuri_Janma_Sardh_Shatabdi_Granth_012039.pdf
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/250088/1

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EVOLUTION OF THE SANSKRIT STAGE -Dr. N. P. Unni bration of a victory. Naturally the temple of the God or the palace of the king was chosen as the venue for the performance. References to dancing balls and music rooms are numerous in Sanskrit dramas and tales. Kalidasa himself has referred to such halls in his works. In Ramgarh hill in Nagpur, Central India, the remains of a Cave which seems to have been used as a stage have been noticed by scholars. It is supposed to date back to the second century B.C. The Naryasastra has mentioned such places as suitable venue for enacting dramas and hence it scems to be a remnant of the hoary past suggesting histrionic activities in the land long before the Christian era. Anything that has its origin in the history past and beyond the comprehension of the historian is invariably attributed to divine blessing. It is the nature of the Indian mind, and it is only natural that the origin of the Indian theatre is attributed to God Brahman the creator of the universe according to Hindu mythology. This traditional view is preserved and handed down through centuries by the various authors of Indian dramaturgy. Sage Bharata, the author of Natyasastra, the first and foremost authority on the art of histrionics has preserved to us a detailed account of the origin and development of the art of dramaturgy. According to him, "the Natyasastra originally composed by Brahma was too much theoretical, too unwiedly and too obscure to be of any practical use. Bharata was then approached and requested to make the work simple, practical and useful". So Bharata proceeded to compose the work dealing with almost all aspects of histrionics including the stage in which this art form is to be enacted. In fact Bharata could not claim to be the pioneer in this field since his work presupposes a flourishing dramatic literature in Sanskrit. The available text of Bharata containing about 6000 verses divided into 36 chapters also contains several references to ancient writers on histrionics. Ancient Indian Theatre : What exactly was the nature of the stage in which the Sanskrit dramas were put on in those ancient days ? Usually a drama is enacted on an occasion of special significance such as the festival of a God, royal marriage or coronation ceremony or the cele Bharata's Stage : The second chapter of the Natyasastra deals with the architecture and construction of the ancient Indian theatre giving the length and breadth of the theatrical adifices in cubits or hastas. The theatre building is variously called as Nariavesma, Natyamandapa and Preksagrha. According to Bharata, Viswakarman, the creator conceived appropriate theatres for this world in his mind's eye and enunciated the only three possibilities of constructing the theatre in a scientific manner. The three possible types are Vikrsta-rectangle, Catura-Squre and Tryasratriangle and they have the three possible sizes namely Jyestha-the large, Madhyama-the middling and Avarathe small. The dimensions of these edifices also vary. Thus Vikrsta-the rectangular one and of the large size has a dimension of 108 hasta units or V.N.S. 2503

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cubits. The Catura or square type of the middle variety consises of 64 hasta units while Tryasra-the triangular one of smaller size consists of only 32 hasta units. It is also prescribed that the large is fit for Gods, the middling for kings and the small for all other human beings. For dimensional purposes one hasta is fixed as 18 inches. According to some scholars nine possible types are suggested by Bharata, resulting from a permutation and combination of the three types with their shape, size and dimension. But this seems to be too exaggerated since only three types are repeatedly referred to by Bharata. The largest theatre conceived according to the Hindu authors is the Vikrsta type (108 x 64 hastas or 162' x 96'). This may well be compared to a modern theatre with all modern gadgets. But in the olden days it is not preferred for humans for it will be difficult for them to hear the actor speaking from a distance of 162 feet especially when he indulges in speaking to himself. The second or the middling is said to be the best for human beings since both speech and music can be heard very well in such a theatre of the normal size! The triangular shape of this type is intrinsically expressive and therefore appropriately suited. The size of the theatre is 96 x 48 feet. The third type-the small one-though ordained for human beings is too small to serve the purpose and hence it is not favoured by Bharata. Construction of the Theatre : Bharata has provided an accurate account of constructing the theatre. Selection of the land where the edifice is to be built up is of primary concern. The ideal location is where the land is even, durable, hard and with black or white soil. After marking out the divisions of the building the inauguration of the work is to be done to the accompaniment of musicial instruments. On that occasion all undesirable persons like religious hypocrities wearing red garments, persons who are defective in limbs etc. should be driven out from the scene. On the night of the installation oblations like foodstuffs, flowers etc; should be offered to the deities guarding the cardinal directions. The theatre consists of three parts viz. the greenroom or Nepathyagrah, located behind the stage, Rangasirsa, the stage proper and the auditorium. Towards the back of the stage a painted curtain is hung-the colour of the curtain being usually in harmony with the dominant sentiment of the play. The height of the stage is generally fixed as four feet. The front portion of the stage is to be decorated with carvings of elephants in rut and this portion is technically referred to as Mattavarani The wood work of the theatre deserves careful consideration. It must have many artistic elements, so as to form quadrangles ornamented with carvings of wildanimals. The auditorium is the biggest part of the theatre where rows of seat are to be provided. It is divided into several parts by the pillars erected between several rows. Thus a white pillar marks a number of rows reserved for the Brahmins, a red pillar for the Ksatriyas and an yellow pillar marks the seats of the Vaisyas. The blue black pillar shows the seating arrangements provided for the Sudras. It shows that those who belonged to the upper stratum of the society with a better understanding of the art were privileged to watch the show from a vantage point while others had to take a back row. But the design of the theatre was such that everybody was able to witness and hear the performance. 2. It is doubtful whether the term has any reference to the carvings of elephants. But the foundations of some of the temple-theatres dug up in Kerala revealed some interesting finds. Thus from the Srivallabha temple in Tiruvalla a small elephant made of Pancaloha the five metal alloy was unearthed. Similarly in the Subrahmanya temple at Haripad, a golden elephant with ruby eyes was found underneath the floor of the theatre. -See Kerala Society Papers, Trivandrum, Series II p. 70. We may safely conclude that these three varieties of theatres were in vogue in those days at least theoretically. But it seems strange that the author does not specifically refer to any stage with reference to any particular region. Probably a theatre as such as we know in the modern sense was not available for him to refer to. Such edifices perhaps formed the part of a royal palace or a temple with its paraphernalia like the dancing hall, the feeding house, flagstaff and the ornamental gates in several stories. Fortunately some of these temple theatres are available even now and form the venue for putting on histrionic performances on festive occasions. 1. The Natankusa-a critique on dramaturgyprobably composed in the fifteenth century by an anonymous Kerala author prefers the middle variety and states: prekSAgRhANAM sarveSAM prakRSTaM madhyamaM bhvet| Rajendra-Jyoti Jain Education Intemational

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The shape of the roof of the theatre is referred to as gable in contrast with a flat roof. This is preferred because of its acoustical advantage. The necessity in adorning the theatre as a whole is also stressed by the ancient writers. Theatres of the Later Period: Following Bharata some later writers on architecture, histrionics and poetics have dealt with the various aspects of ancient Indian theatre including its construction. While some of them have treated the subject in detail others have only made a passing reference giving information on some aspects. him by the term Rangamandapa where musical concerts and dramatic representations were carried out, seem to have been popular in those days. The stage designated as Vratta (of circular type) is attended by the king accompanied by connoisseurs and citizens to watch the performance. Caturasra--the square shaped stage is attended by the king in the company of courtesans, ministers, merchants, senior army personnels, friends and princes. The triangular theatre is to witness performance for the king along with the queen, preceptors, religious teachers and ladies of the harem Thus the occasion on which a particular stage is resorted to is made clear by Saradatanaya. It is also of special interest to note that it is he who mentions a circular stage for the first time. Thus the Visnudharmottara, often referred to as an Upapurana-a work of encyclopaedic charactercompiled by a Kashmirian Vaisnava author somewhere between 450 and 650 A.D. has mentioned about Natyamandapa-a theatre. In the third and last section of the work he says that Lasya or dance may be performed either in a theatre or in an open space, as suited to the occasion. But he is emphatic that Natya-the dramatic performance should be held always inside the theatre. According to him the theatre can be of two types, viz: Ayata-the rectangular and Caturasra the square shaped one. The dimensions of the square type is given as 32 x 32 hastas or 48 x 48 feet. The exact dimension of the rectangular type is not referred to by him though he has stressed that both these types should not be too big or too small because of various reasons. Too big a theatre would be of no use since the dramatic performance consisting of action as well as singing could not be properly seen or heard by the audience. In case the theatre is too small then again the performance will be affected by echoes and similar other factors. Manasara a well known work on architec ure composed between the 11th and 15th century A.D. has devoted a chapter on theatres attached to royalpalaces. The work mentions the various materials like wood, stone, brick and various kinds of metals used for constructing the theatre though the dimensional details of it are not mentioned. The importance of decorating the theatre with carvings and sculptural beauties is stressed by him. The figures of leographs (Vyali) and crocodiles (Makara) are mentioned in this connection. Naryasarvasvadipika of unknown date more or less follows the classification of theatre made by Bharata mentioning the three varieties. The only difference in the view is that the Vikrsta type is given a greater dimension than in Bharata. According to the work the largest type of theatre should have a length of 128 hastas or 192 feet. Sangitamak aranda attributed to Narada, dealing with Sangita and Nrtya in four chapters on each of the topics, incidentally gives the dimensions of the theatre. The work, probably composed in the 11th century A.D. refers to a single type of theatre which is square in shape and having a dimension of 96 x 96 hastas. It may be pointed out that he differs in this respect from Bharata and others. Bhavaprakasand of Saradatanaya composed between 11-13 century A.D. mentions three types of theatres probably attached to royal palaces. According to him the theatre may be Caturasra, Tryasra and Vrtta. But the dimensions of these varieties are not given by him. These theatres referred to by There are quite a number of Sanskrit works described under the general titles music and dancing' giving information on the different easpects of the stage and stage-craft. Most of them more or less follow the authoritative work of Bharata. It is not easy to give a comprehensive account of the literature within a limited space. So vast is the material and so diverse the intrinsic merit and variety. Generally theatres are described as a part of the royal palaces though occasionally we find a few references to theatres outside the walls of the palace. Temple Theatres of Kerala : Coming to Kerala we get descriptions of temple theatres where Sanskrit dramas were put on from a very early period. Works dealing with the structural V.N S 2503 31 Jain Education Intemational

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details of the temple include provision for the theatre which is usually designated as Kuttampalam.3 Despite a vast number of kingdoms and principalities with its numerous palaces of ancient Kerala, the temples were regarded as the centres of culture and arts. Though occasionally members of the royal palace were inclined to witness a performance of actors within the walls of their enclosures, as a general rule they preferred the temple theatre. Hence they themselves have caused numerous temple-theatres to be built in the various prominent temples of Kerala, some of them dating back to 9th century A. D. As a rule every major temple will be having at least one permanent stage where the Cakvars (a class of professional actors of Kerala belonging to the group of temple servants called Ampalavasis) used to put on Sanskrit dramas on the occasion of festivals. The existence of such theatres on a permanent foot. ing has naturally resulted in a rich dramatic heritage of Kerala by not only preserving the old Sanskrit plays but also giving impetus to compose new ores for the stage. Ancient kings of Kerala like Kulasekharavarman and others wielded the pen successfully and enriched the dramatic heritage of the land bringing out works like Tapatisamvarana and Subhadradhananjaya. This feature of the temple was so permanent and essential that manuals on temple architecture began to incorporate the dimensional aspects and structural details of theatres in their fold. This according to Tantrasamuccaya of Cannas Narayana Namputiri (born in 1428 A.D.) the Natyamandapa is to be located to the right side of the temple facing the principal deity. Towards the rear part of the edifice the stage proper is to be 3. There are tracts which deal with the renovation of temple-theatre. Manuscript No. 17444 of the Kerala University Manuscripts Library entitled Nartanaranganavik aranavidhi prescribes the mode of renovating the stage in the Kerala temples. 4. Manuscript No. 21883 of the Kerala Universities Manuscripts Library entitled Narabhisekavidhi deals with the caremonial inauguration of the actors on the Kerala stage. 5. See Dr. N.P. Unni, Sanskrit Dramas of Kulase khara-A study, College Book House, Trivandrum 1977, for details. 6. Trivandrum Sanskrit Serie: No. 151, 169 and 200. The work is a digest in 12 Patalas dealing with the consecration and worship of the major Hindu deities. built, the shape of which shall be square with four pillars supporting the roof. Just behind the stage is the place for accommodating singers and their accompanists. The green-room is located behind this place. Thus the theatre will be having the greenroom, the place for musicians, the stage-proper and the auditorium where the spectators are admitted. It is to be noticed that no proper seats are provided for them. They have to sit on the level ground which of course is some two or three feet above the actual ground level over which the theatre is built. It is also laid down that the actual size of the Natyamandapa should have some proportion to the circumference of the sanctum sanctorum. But this proportion is different according to different authorities and hence a uniformity in its size is seldom met with. About five different methods to arrive at this proportion is to be found. The roof of course, is provided with titles or copper sheets. But the theatre should have three stupas or ornamental domes of pyramidal shape one of which should be directly above the centre of the stage proper. Such kind of stages called Kuttampalams are to be noticed in some of the major temples of Kerala. At present there are about twenty such theatres in the temples of this region. Many of these temple theatre can be compared with the Vikrasta type propounded by Bharata. As in the case of the above type it is also rectangular in shape. The only noteworthy difference is its dimension. Whereas the Natyasastra is specific regarding the dimension of the types of theatres, the dimension of the Kerala temple theatre is determined in relation to the circumference of the strine. Thus about half a dozen dimensions can be postulated for the temple stage. Still one may say that it has its origin in the prescription of Bharata. It must be admitted that these temple theatres have gone a long way in preserving the theatrical traditions in India. Theatres forming an integral part of royal houses having been gone inaccessible to the people at large, temple theatres brought the art of histrionics closer to them. Undoubtedly it has resulted in the growth of dramatic literature in this part of the country. It has also caused to preserve ancient dramas like the thirteen Trivandrum plays ascribed to Bhasa. The formation of the temple stage may well be termed as an evolution in Indian theatrical traditions. For the first time it brought literature and art as the common heritage of all the people. Masses (Contd. on page 37) 32 Rajendra-Jyoti