Hampi heritage to come alive in City

The glorious past of the Hampi Vijayanagara dynasty will be brought alive through ‘Rayaratha,’ a sound and light show at the Nehru Maidan.

The State Tourism Department in association with the State Tourism Development Corporation and the district administration is organising the programme to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Vijayanagara dynasty king Sri Krishnadevaraya, in whose term the region had witnessed the golden age.

The 70 minutes-long show, which is directed by noted filmmaker T S Nagabharana, will be presented by the Innovative Lighting System Corporation (ILSC). Assistant Director of the show M K Matt told City Herald that the response for the show was overwhelming that it has already attracted lakhs of people at various places across the State.

“The tenure of Vijayanagara dynasty has its own prominence as it is the largest Hindu kingdom in the history of the world. We are presenting the audience through the show the glimpses of glorious period of Krishnadevaraya, which is considered as the golden age in the history of Karnataka,” Matt said.

Krishnadevaraya, who was an ardent patron of art, architectural beauty, literature,
music, drama and other activities, had made his kingdom strong economically too. The artificially created Vijayanagara dynasty capital city at the Nehru Maidan will reminisce the glory of the kingdom, he said.

“The birth of Krishnadevaraya, his throning in 1509, marriage, relation with the British and other developments of the age will be visualised through the show. Historic monuments of the Hampi including chariots, Vittala temple, Virupaksha temple statues of Ugranarasimha, Ganeshas, Kamal Mahal, Hampi town, Anjaneya Hill and rocks have been created using fibre and plywood. As many as 136 circuits and 500 lamps have been fixed in the sets to produce the special effect of lighting,” Matt explained.

Though there are no actors to present the show, about 60 artistes are working to make the show colourful and effective.

About 300 artistes and artisans from various parts of the nation had worked for nearly three months to create two separate sets of Rayaratha, he said adding that shows have already been presented at 14 places across the State by two separate teams.

No entry fee

Matt said that there will be no entry fee for the show, which will commence at 7 pm on March 5 and 6. District-in-Charge Minister J Krishna Palemar will inaugurate the show on March 5 at 6 pm. Students, who will not be able to watch the show in the night, can view the structures resembling the historical monuments of Vijayanagara dynasty set up at the Nehru Maidan on March 5 from 1 pm to 5 pm and on March 6 from 8 am to 5 pm, he informed.