Melattur, Tamil Nadu
Melattur
Unnathapuram Achyutapuram | |
---|---|
town panchayat | |
UTC+5:30 (IST ) |
Melattur is a
Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census,[4] Melattur had a population of 7815. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Melattur has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 59%. In Melattur, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
History
Inscriptions at the largest Shiva temple in Melattur indicate that the village might have existed as early as the times of Vikrama Chola who lived in 12th century AD. Earlier known as Nritta Vinoda Valanadu, the village was rechristened as Unnathapuri in honor of Unnathapureswarar, the presiding deity of the temple and the form in which Lord Shiva was worshipped in Melattur.[5]
When the
During the reign of the
Virabhadra, the scholar who introduced thillana in the art of Bharatanatyam hailed from Melattur.[1]
Bhagavatha Mela
The main tourist attraction of Melattur are the Bhagavatha Melas, a series of festivities that mark the festival of Narasimha Jayanthi or the birth of Lord Narasimha.[3][7][8] The Bhagavatha Melas comprise dramas and dance performances.[9] The dialogues and songs are mostly in Telugu.[9]
The earliest recorded celebration of the Bhagavatha Mela was in the year 1888.
The mela is held for a week during which the dramas Kamsa Vadham, Sathya Harischandra, Hari Hara Leela Vilasam and Sita Kalyanam are enacted.
Bharatanatyam
A classical Bharatanatyam performance is an indispensable part of a Bhagavatha Mela.[8] However, a unique style of Bharatanatyam is practised by the Melattur dancers. The distinct features of the Melattur style of Bharatanatyam are:[13]
- Natural (spontaneous) and highly expressive abhinaya{Tamil}
- Largest amplitude of movements, which requires a higher degree of flexibility
- Extensive use of kshepa (throw of limbs) and recaka.
- Emphasis on sringara bhakti
Tamil[1][2] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
U+0B8x | ஂ | ஃ | அ | ஆ | இ | ஈ | உ | ஊ | எ | ஏ | ||||||
U+0B9x | ஐ | ஒ | ஓ | ஔ | க | ங | ச | ஜ | ஞ | ட | ||||||
U+0BAx | ண | த | ந | ன | ப | ம | ய | |||||||||
U+0BBx | ர | ற | ல | ள | ழ | வ | ஶ | ஷ | ஸ | ஹ | ா | ி | ||||
U+0BCx | ீ | ு | ூ | ெ | ே | ை | ொ | ோ | ௌ | ் | ||||||
U+0BDx | ௐ | ௗ | ||||||||||||||
U+0BEx | ௦ | ௧ | ௨ | ௩ | ௪ | ௫ | ௬ | ௭ | ௮ | ௯ | ||||||
U+0BFx | ௰ | ௱ | ௲ | ௳ | ௴ | ௵ | ௶ | ௷ | ௸ | ௹ | ௺ | |||||
Notes |
- Emphasis on crisp adavus, accuracy of jathis/ gathis{Tamil}
- Fluid variations of patterned korvais{Tamil}
- Dramatic elements (characterisation)
- Original methods of application of principles of "loka dharmi" and "natya dharmi"{Tamil}
Other tourist attractions
The agraharam at Melattur is surrounded by a Ganapathy temple and a Draupadi temple apart from the Shiva temple and Perumal temple.
The village of
References
- ^ ISBN 81-901481-4-1. Archivedfrom the original on February 24, 2018.
- ^ "Guru Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer (1900–1980)". sridevinrithyalaya.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g R. Varadharajan, Vishnu (May 19, 2002). "Drama in Melattur". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
- ^ a b c d Melattur S Natarajan (2004). "Melattur, a seat of Bhagavata Mela – an overview (Part I)". narthaki.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c Melattur S Natarajan (2002). "S Natarajan and the Melattur Bhagavatamela tradition". narthaki.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2007. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Ramani, Nandini (May 31, 2002). "Blend of bhakti and aesthetics". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ a b R. Jones, Clifford (1963). Bhagavata Mela Natakam, a Traditional Dance-Drama Form. Association for Asian Studies.
- ^ a b "Ethnography of Bhagavatha Performances" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
- ^ a b c Lalitha Venkat. "THE LION ROARS IN MELATTUR". Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ "Drama in divine ambience". The Hindu. Chennai, India. June 7, 2002. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008.
- ^ Ramani, Nandini (May 7, 2004). "Tradition preserved with missionary zeal". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on April 19, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ "Melattur Style Bharatanatyam Videos". Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
- ^ A blogger's entry on Varadaraja Temple in Melattur Archived 22 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Sriraman (2005). "Thengudi Thittai". chennaionline.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
- ^ "Special archanas at Thittai temple". The Hindu. India. July 21, 2007. Archived from the original on April 17, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2008.