On a pleasant night, at the tail-end of October, on the dabali in front of Krishna Mandir, a few men lit torches in the four corners to demark the stage.

As the crowd started pouring in, the musicians tuned their instruments and the actors adjusted their costumes for a final time before staging the annual celebration.

Considered to be the longest running dance festival in the world, Kartik Pyakha (Dance-drama in Nepal Bhasa) was started by Siddhi Narsingha Malla in 1641 CE, with help from his two learned gurus Haribansha Rajopdhayay and Bishwanath Rajopdhayay.

Since then it has been continuously staged in the lunar month of Kartik. His son Sri Nivas and grandson Yog Narendra added elements extending the pyakha’s run time to a month.

The dance celebration, which sees reenactments of Vishnu Puran, of Vishnu’s many adventures in his various avatars, was originally conceptualised as a five-day event to bring together all the people in the Malla Kingdom of Yala (Patan) to provide them with religious, ethical, and social teachings. 

Kartik Naach is a living museum that preserves the Valley’s heritage, and this year, people of various social strata gathered to continue the tradition forward, even though the lack of resources meant that the festival was shortened to just 12 days.

Like many intangible heritages in the valley, it faces numerous challenges, finances being one of them. 

But despite it all, Kartik Pyakha continues to be celebrated with vim and gusto each year. Given the social setting of medieval Patan, this pyakha was surprisingly very much an inclusive affair.

Dancers and musicians from all strata of society rubbed shoulders to carry the pyakha tradition forward. That too is a tradition continues to this day. 

Photos: Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi

Text: Looza Mahaju