By A Staff Reporter
Lalitpur, Nov. 26: The famous Kartik Naach of Patan will be performed only for two days this year because of COVID-19.
According to the Kartik Naach Preservation Committee (KNPC), only the Baraha and Narsingha dances will be staged this time.
“Only the performers will be allowed on the Kartik Dabali (where the dance is performed), we will seal the Patan Durbar Square area to avoid large crowds and adopt all necessary health precautions,” said Kiran Chitrakar, chairman of KNPC, stating that the decision to move ahead with the Naach was taken in coordination with the District Administration Office.
“Kartik Naach will start on Friday with Baraha Dance and end on Saturday with Narsingha Dance,” he informed.
The Naach was started by King Siddhi Narsingh Malla in 1640 and it has been uninterruptedly performed every year since.
Chitrakar informed that the dance used to be 27-day long till 1949. Then, from 1950 to 1980, it got shortened to two days - with only the Baraha and Narsingha dances being staged.
Again in 1980, it was extended to an eight-day event and since 2014 it has been marked in a 12-day format.
“But this year, the pandemic forced us to revert to the two-day format,” he shared.
Kartik Naach is an amalgamation of various cultural and religious stories enacted in the form of dances like Baatha Dance, Usha Haran Leela, Jala Shayan, Baraha Dance, Narsingha Dance, Vastra Haran Leela and Dadhi Leela.