Exploring Storytelling Through the Beautiful Art of Kuchipudi Dance

This is a video of myself dancing on one of the most famous items of the kuchipudi tradition, Mandooka Sabdam. Mandooka Sabdam is known for the famous episode of Gajendra Moksham which is portrayed by the dancer in the middle of the item. Various characters are played by just one dancer. These characters are namely, King Indradyumna, Sage Agastya, Gajendra, crocodile, Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. The incident of Gajendra Moksham took place in the Trikuta mountain region which was located in the higher planets. In this breathtaking Trikuta region there was also a beautiful forest called Rtumat, which belonged to the ocean god Varuna. In this forest beautiful fragrant flowers blossomed, juicy fruit grew on the evergreen trees and lotus flower surround the lakes present in the forest. Numerous animals such as deer, peacock etc also resided in Rtumat. Gajendra, the mighty elephant leader also lived in this heavenly forest. Seeing him, inhaling the scent of his bodily odor or even imagining his features used to evoke fear even in the ferocious animals of the Rtumat region. One pleasant morning, when Gajendra was wandering around the Trikuta region with other female elephants, he felt thirsty and fatigued. Walking to a nearby lake, he started drinking its sweet water which also incorporated the slight flavour of the lotus present in the lake making the water even more refreshing. While quenching his thirst, Gajendra started to collect water in his trunk and sprinkle water on his fellow mates accompanying him in the lake. However, something unfortunate happens to Gajendra as he is enjoying in the waters. Before moving on, it is essential to know about Gajendra's previous life when he was King Indradyumna. King Indradyumna was a great king who ruled the Pandya dynasty in South India. He was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. After many years of service to the Pandya dynasty, he volunteeringly left his family and decided to perform deep meditation in order to satisfy the Lord. While meditating in the Malaya hills, the Great sage Agastya along with his disciples reached the same location as Indradyumna. However, King Indradyumna did not offer the sage reception as he was silently worshipping the lord and did not notice the sage. This greatly angered Sage Agastya and he curses Indradyumna that in his next life he would become a dumb and dull elephant. This is how Gajendra came into the picture. Gajendra is none other that the King indradyumna. In order to find out what happened to Gajendra, watch the video.