Kameswari dance fest at Kamakhya temple from tomorrow

Guwahati, Jan 13 (UNI) The courtyard of the famous Kamakhya temple will once again reverberate with dance and songs, reviving the tradition of appeasing the Goddess through music, with performances of the great Indian classical dancers and vocalists.

The two-day Kameswari dance festival will be held in the temple from tomorrow, after last year's attempt by the Kamakhya Debottar Board to revive the tradition with a day function was met with tremendous response.

Padma Vibhusan Sonal Mansing will return to perform on the first day after the noted danseuse participated in the maiden festival last year. She will have Pandit Sugato Bhaduri and Indira P P Bora for company on the first day.

The second day will witness the performances of Padmashree Shovana Narayana, Padma Bhusan Pandit Rajan Mishra and Padma Bhusan Pandit Sujan Mishra.

Temple Board Advisor Bhabani Chandra Sharma said, ''After the great response last year, we are planning the festival for two days this year.'' Citing the mention of this dance tradition in the Kamakhya temple in ancient scriptures, Mr Sharma said, ''The festival will try to recreate the ethereal evenings of those days when Kamdev, Rati and Kameswari devi herself used to engage in heavenly dance in the temple premises.'' The dance tradition was kept alive in the Ahom days, when the king himself is said to have sat in audience as dancers enlivened the premise with their feet to the accompaniment of devotional songs to appease the Mother Goddess.

However, the tradition had come to a halt for unknown reasons and the Kamakhya Debottar Board, which manages the temple, is making this attempt at reviving the tradition.

UNI SG PP RD 1324