Watch the Nritya Ratnavali come alive this weekend!

Sir Terry Pratchett, the recently deceased English fantasy author, once wrote that no one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world fade away. This is especially apt in the context of the Kakatiyas and the cultural legacy they left behind that is alive and well 700 years on.

Kakatiya dance forms are an important part of this cultural legacy and references to them can be found in sculptures all across the 13th century Ramappa Temple, a temple that was once described as the brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples of the Deccan. These dance sculptures even served as inspiration for the famous dance treatise Nritya Ratnavali which was penned by a Kakatiya military general, Jayapa Senani.

The Nritya Ratnavali describes folk dance forms of the time and include the Perani, Prenkhana, Suddha Nartana, Carcari, Rasaka, Danda Rasaka, Shiva Priya, Kanduka Nartana, Bhandika Nrityam, Carana Nrityam, Chindu, Gondali and Kolatam.

On run weekend, the Nritya Ratnavali will come alive with a special performance by members of the Rinda Saranya Kuchipudi Dance Academy. They will perform to the invocatory verses from the Nritya Ratnavali. This will be followed by a Swara Pallavi that was a part of the typical courtesans’ repertoire. The movements incorporated are, again, based on those described in the Nritya Ratnavali.

This performance will be the perfect way to introduce run participants and their families to Warangal’s cultural heritage!