നൈഷ്ഠികം കൂടിയാട്ട മഹോത്സവം 2021 നവംബർ 26 വെള്ളി ( നാലാം ദിവസം )
Channel: kunchunairtrust
Date: 26/11/2021

Balivadaham Koodiyattam — Day 4

Sugreeva’s Nirvahanam or Retrospective Day 1

The programme starts with Anukramam, a reverse chronology of events that provide the context for the play. Samkshepam, or Summary, that follows briefly mentions events starting with the birth of Brahma from the navel of Sree Narayana, the tussle between Brahma and Vishnu, how Lord Parameswara chopped off one head of Brahma. It traces events that led to the creation of the Kingdom of Monkey, how Risharajas became its king and on his death Bali was crowned the king.

The following is a synopsis of Attam or the main descriptive segment that follows.

At that time demon king Maya had two sons Mayavi and Dundhubi, and a daughter Mandodari. Dundhubi prayed to Lord Brahma and earned great prowess equivalent to a thousand elephants. Drunk with power and pride, he was spoiling for war. He hears the roar of the seas and challenged Varuna to war. Varuna realises it will be hard to fight Dundhubi and sends him to Himavan the mountain. Himavan also shies off from a fight and asks him to go to Kishkindha and challenge the powerful monkey king bali.

Dundhubi felt it was demeaning to fight a monkey and decided to transform himself as an ox. He enters Bali’s pool and frolicks around in it. The monkeys complain to Bali who comes out and realises it is not an ox, burt Dundhubi. Bali and Dundhubi engage in war. Bali winds a gold chain around Dundhubi’s neck and hurls him away to his death. Blood drops from Dundhubi’s face fall on Sage Mathanga who was meditating. He curses Bali that his head will burst if ever he steps on Mount Malyavan.

Meanwhile, Mayavi sets out to look for Dundhubi and learns that his brother has been killed by Bali. He challenges Bali to war but could not stand the combined might of Bali and Sugreeva. He runs away and hides inside a cave. Bali chases him into the cave while Sugreeva stands guard at its opening. Bali instructs Sugreeva that if Bali dies blood wiill flow frothing, and if Mayavi dies blood will flow normally. Mayavi overhears this and makes the blood froth when Bali killed him in bout. Sugreeva grieves for his brother, seals the cave entrance and returns to his kingdomw where he is crowned king.

Bali had gone to sleep after killing Mayavi. When he wakes up he doesn’t find Sugreeva around. He manages to escape from the cave and suspects foul play by Sugreeva. Bali and Sugreeva engage in a fistfight. Sugreeva takes flight and seeks refuge on Mount Malyavan where Bali can’t enter due to his curse.