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Govardhan Panchal
Nirgrantha
Nātyaśāstra, the preliminaries should begin before the staging of the play. The entry of the character is made with the appropriate Dhruvāgāna and Jātirāgas, the Nātyaśāstra terms for the musical modes prevalent during the time of Bharata. The play itself is described as depicting different rasas and is termed rasasāgara-an ocean of rasas. Hemacandra clearly shows that he follows the natyaśāstric tradition according to which the plays must have been staged at least up to his time, i. e., 12th century.
But the authors of the Nātyadarpana, Rāmacandra and Gunacandra, Hemacandra's own disciples, do not seem to consider Pūrvaranga except the Nandi to be essential in the staging of the plays. They regard Nandi important as it consists of benedictory verses in praise of gods and blessings for the audience.
Ranga
While speaking of Nāndi, the Nātyadarpana in its fourth viveka (chapter) mentions two types of theatres: the Tryasra (triangular) and the Caturasra (square). It says: "The length of the Nandi depends on the shape of the theatre. In a triangular theatre, the Nandi can consist of maximum 12 padas and minimum of three padas 21. In a square theatre, it consists of 16 padas (at the most) or minimally four padas. This is a very significant piece of information. For many of the Caulukya period plays were performed in the temples on the occasion of some religious festival. But they do not mention where exactly the plays were performed in the temple. The temple, whether Jaina or brahminical, had a mandapa called sabhāmandapa or rangamandapa or nätyamandapa. Here, the devadāsīs, the sons of ministers and tradesmen, or even the queens at times must have performed dances in the propitiatory ceremonies for the gods. But these were not suitable for the staging of the plays, though once in a while they may have done so. -
The mention of the two types of theatres, Tryasra and the Caturasra, leaves no doubt now as to where the plays were staged in the temple complex. These two types of theatres might have been constructed with the Ranga (stage) facing the deity as in the Küttampalam of Kerala.
The square theatre might have been of the madhyama or middling size, measuring 64 hastas on all sides and the kaniyas measuring 32 hastas on all its three sides. The following illustrations show the theatres re-constructed by the present author on the basis of the Chapter II of the Natyaśāstra. (See Illustrations 1 and 2.)
An example of waga wae aut entry in the Prabuddharauhineya22 suggests that two doors must have been curtained for practical reasons of barring the view of the nepathya activity to the audience. And its dramatic use was certainly made by the actors.
The Tryasra stage could not have mattavāraņi-s the side-extensions and suppplimentary
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