THE BACKGROUND:

Vichitra Chitra Narthana is a revisualisation of a unique ritualistic performance of the Hoysala era, once performed by Queen Shanthala and recorded in inscriptions and sculptures. It is based on the Desi Saalaga Sooda Prabhanda from the 13th century text Sangita Rathnakara of Shaarangadeva.

Vichitra Chitra Narthana highlights the rich cultural heritage and artistic creativity of Karnataka’s traditions.

The above collage shows glimpses from the previous dance festival.

THE HISTORY:

Dr. Karuna Vijayendra is a distinguished dance historian and academician with over 25 years of research experience and more than 90 published articles in national and international forums. She holds a PhD and a Senior Diploma in Epigraphy from the Karnataka Itihasa Academy, enabling a rare synthesis of textual, sculptural, and performative analysis in her methodology.

The quest for the work started when she read an inscription from Beluru in 1998/99 that says “Vichitra Nartana Pravartana Dhareyam Patramukha Darpaneyam Pattamahadevi Shantaladevi” -Queen Shantala was known for her unique dance performance called Vichitra Nartana.

A forgotten tradition is being reconstructed based on multiple sources like dance history, musical texts, literature, inscriptions, temple tradition, temple sculpture, musical rendition tradition, Haridasa sahithya, living theatrical tradition, classical dances, eastern country temple dances and so on. It's a celebrated effort to preserve Karnataka's intangible heritage, earning national recognition, including a National Award in the Best Art Category for the documentary Ranga Vaibhoga, directed by Suneel Puranik, underscoring the cultural and scholarly significance of this work.

GEETHA SUNDARI NAMANA DANCE FESTIVAL:

Geetha Sundari Namana is a festival commemorated as a humble offering to the revered Guru Smt. Sundari Santhanam. This year marks the 5th edition of this special festival, and brings the revived Hoysala-era dance "Vichitra Chitra Narthana" to life. It's a one-day celebration of Karnataka's temple-dance heritage, featuring 13 musicians, 12 dancers, and a full crew of lighting, sound, and costume and makeup technicians.

Vichitra Chitra Nartana is a conceptual reconstruction. It is an amalgamation of multiple units like “Gita Prabhandha, Vadya Prabhandha and Nritya Prabhandha” of ancient Karnataka (12th and 13th century NE)

The dance unit consists of Gita Gaundali, Muka Gaundali, Vichitra Nartana and Chitra Nartana.

The Angikabhinaya is purely based on exclusive Desi Karanas( medieval dance technique) and Marga Karanas (Ancient dance technique). The program showcases over 216 Karanas, 35-40 Sthanakas, 60-70 Marga/Desi Caris, and 30 Nritta Hastas, all reconstructed from Dr. Karuna Vijayendra's 20-year research on sculptures, inscriptions, and the 13th-century Sangita Ratnakara. Audiences experience a blend of ancient music (Salaga Suda Prabandha) and authentic costumes, making the forgotten "Gaundali Vidhi" feel fresh and thrilling. The festival aims to preserve, promote, and educate students, scholars, and the public about this 800-year-old intangible cultural treasure.

This year’s festival is organized by GuruKrupa Natyashala, a dance school established by Smt. Krishna Preetha in the year 2013 in Bengaluru.

This campaign aims to revive and support the forgotten Kannada traditional dance, which requires INR 2.2 Lakhs, including the costs of lighting, sound, videography, costumes, and crowdfunding fees.

The above image is the official poster invite of the festival 'Geetha Sundari Namana', which is happening on 7th March, 2026.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FESTIVAL:

This festival will showcase the vanished tradition of the Karnataka Desha and propagate the legacy of an 800-year-old, unique music and dance ritualistic performance.

1) This work is a culmination of detailed research of more than 20 years encompassing sculptural studies across 15 temples in Karnataka, innumerable field trips, and extensive research of various texts.

2) The attempt to decode these special dance movements resulted in the Re-visualisation of the ‘Desi Karanas’, a 2nd Millennium dance technique, and was published as the Neo-Desi Karanas book in 2013.

3) Along with dance, an old music tradition of the medieval period called ‘Salaga Suda Prabandha’, usage of ancient instruments like ‘Karatta’, the distinctive costume, hairstyle and jewellery of the ‘Gaundali’ dancer were also reconstructed.

4) Dr. Karuna’s doctoral thesis, “Karnataka Devalayagallali Rangabhoga”, guided by renowned epigraphist Dr. H. S. Gopal Rao, has already been recognized nationally.

5) This unique 90-minute Narthanam was staged in the year 2022.

PIC: The above image shows the different traditional forms of Karnataka's forgotten dance, which was performed previously at the festival.

This festival aims to,

- Preserve, promote and showcase Karnataka’s intangible cultural heritage by bringing historical traditions alive on a proscenium stage. 

- Bridge research and performance, demonstrating the relevance of academic work in the arts.

- Engage communities, including students, scholars, and the general public, thereby fostering awareness of Karnataka’s temple traditions.

It requires INR 2.2L for the festival to come to life; a detailed cost breakdown is given below. 

COST BREAK-UP:

MAP:

ABOUT GURUKRUPA NATYASHALA:

GuruKrupa Natyashala, a brain-child of Smt. Krishna Preetha, was established in the year 2013 in Bangalore and has been tutoring dance aspirants of various ages both in the classroom and online modes. GKN offers a comprehensive learning of practical, theoretical, and Layam aspects of Bharatanatyam. The traditional pedagogy of teaching is maintained through the Salangai Poojai and Arangetrams of disciples. The students of GKN have been a part of various competitions and prestigious stage performances all around the country.