Gallery
The golden window that is opened once a year.
Newar musicians performing
| Etymology | Dance performed in the month of Kartika |
|---|---|
| Genre | Nepalese folk dance |
| Year | 1641 |
| Origin | Lalitpur |
Kartik Naach (Nepali : कात्तिक नाच, also known as Kachhalā Pyākhan (Nepal Bhasa: कछला प्याखं)), is a dance musical play that is performed every month of Kartik (October or November) in Nepal. [1] It was started in 1641 AD by Nepali Malla King Siddhi Narsingh Malla. [2] [3] [4] The play is performed in Kartik Dabali, Patan Durbar Square every year. [3] [5]
It is usually presented for two to 27 days with 17 tales of Hindu god Vishnu. [3] [4] Originally it was shown for two days, but Narsingh Malla's son Shree Niwas Malla added seven days, and Narsingh Malla's grandson Yog Narendra Malla added 15. [4]
The play was preserved by Kartik Naach Prabandhan Samiti, but the Kartik Nach Preservation Committee (KNPC) has been preserving it since 2013. [3] The play usually starts with dancers in colourful clothes portraying Hindu deities including Barahi, Ganesh, Shiva, and Krishna. [4] The dancers also wear festoons around their necks. [4] It is performed by Newar people and in 2015, there were "45 musicians and 10 helpers" performing. [4]
It is also performed near the golden window in Patan and the window is opened only at the play. Legends say that it was built to honour the King Siddhi Narsingh Malla. [6] [7] Most of the dances and music is thought to have been composed by Narsingh Malla, but there have been minor changes to it. [8] Hari Man Shrestha, previously a director of KNPC, has penned a book on the play. [8]
The April 2015 Nepal earthquake critically damaged Patan Durbar Square.[ citation needed ] Seven months later, Kartik Naach was performed for 10 nights, while it was still damaged.[ citation needed ] Xinhua News Agency wrote, "Despite the tragedy, thousands of Nepali people, young and old, trooped to the temple to watch the open-air presentation of the historical dance-drama to the accompaniment of folk music".[ citation needed ] In 2018, Lalitpur had distributed 200,000 Nepalese rupees to the play. [2]
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Media related to Kartik dance at Wikimedia Commons