Banayudham (Bana's Battle) is an Aattakatha (Kathakali play) written by Balakavi Rama Shasthri. It used to be a popular play in the southern (thekkan) style of Kathakali.[1] The Asura king Bana, son of Mahabali, has a thousand arms. His daughter Usha falls in love with Aniruddha, the grandson of Krishna. Bana discovers them together and imprisons Aniruddha. Krishna challenges Bana to a battle, in which he defeats Bana by chopping off all but four of his arms.[2] An excerpt from the play, depicting scenes involving Usha and her friend Chitralekha, is often presented independently.[3][4][5]
References
- ↑ "Tale of love and war" from "The Hindu", 16 October 2014
- ↑ "Battle of the mighty Bana" from "The Hindu", 21 April 2016
- ↑ "Shades of romance" from "The Hindu", 20 September 2018
- ↑ "A kathakali performance, based on Usha and Chitralekha's tale" from "The Times of India", 29 August 2019
- ↑ "Kathakali performance titled Usha-Chitralekha enthrals the audience" from "The Times of India", 16 September 2018