A religiously inclined art form embraced by Carnatic music and procedures of Natya Shastra is Bhagavatha Mela, mainly popular in the villages in and around Cauvery belt or delta regions of Tamil Nadu.

Interesting and important sections from great Indian Puranas, Epics and Kaavyas are taken for conducting this art form as a dance-drama. The elaborate enactment prepares us for a time travel into the ancient history of Spiritual India.

Though Bhagavatha Mela is predominantly a religious event in the belts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Telugu speaking segment of people who migrated from Andhra Pradesh and settled in villages in and around Tanjore and Kumbakonam have nurtured this art form more vigorously since ancient times.

Melattur, a small beautiful village in Tamil Nadu near Tanjore is the iconic destination for the annual Baghavatha Mela celebrations. Lord Narasimha is worshipped as family deities by most of the people here and the entire show conducted throughout night focusses on Lord Narasimha and His glories.

The annual Baghavatha Mela deserves a visit to this tiny village if you happen to be a historian, art lover, researcher or one who loves to watch real time dance-dramas. The festival lasting for a week involves various cultural events, spiritual discourses, religious rituals and poojas.

Most prominent of all plays in Bhagavatha Mela is the Hiranya Vatham. Legends record that Lord Vishnu manifested as Lord Narasimha to kill the demon King Hiranyakashyap and save the pious child Prahalad. The entire event is called Hiranya Vatham.

The night long event starts with an invocation song glorifying Lord Ganesha. A boy dressed up like Lord Ganesha appears on stage to receive the offerings. The lead character of the show called kattiakkaran announces about King Hirankashyap who appears on stage, then comes his wife Lilavati with his son Prahalad. Interestingly, Prahalad is the grandfather of King Mahabali whose homecoming is celebrated as Onam every year in Kerala.

Coming back to the events in Bhagavatha Mela, all the characters are done by male artistes. The scenes with lengthy dialogues delivered by Queen Lilavati and Lord Narasimha destroying Hiranyakashyap can be explained only by those witnessed the drama. The respect that people of Melattur give to this art can be understood by the fact that the headgear for Lord Narasimha is revered keeping it in the sanctum of Lord Narasimha in the temple and taken out once in a year during the festival.

The annual event receives hundreds of onlookers. The troop members, though earning their livelihoods in different parts of the world, assemble a week prior to the festival at Melattur to rehearse for the drama.

Plan to enjoy Bhagavatha Mela, one of the ancient art forms of Tamil Nadu while you are touring across Tanjore.