Veeragaase is another super energetic and dynamic folk dance of Karnataka. As the name suggests, Veera Rasa (courage) is predominantly expressed in this art form. The performers wear a bright coloured dress, generally shirts of various colours with regional variations, they also put on a heavy head gear which is usually furry and white. A Rudraksha necklace, a Nagabharana (snake like ornament) around the neck, a hip belt called Rudra and large anklets add on to the uniqueness of the costume. The Vibhooti made from firewood is applied on their forehead, ears, and eyebrows for the artist’s make up. The costume is extremely hefty and not easy to perform with. Inspite of the massive costume, the artistes perform first class rigorous steps.

 

There is a popular story behind this dance form: According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva was married to Daksha Prajapathi’s daughter Dakshayini. Daksha had performed penance to get an incarnation of Maa Adishakthi as his daughter Dakshayini, hence she was his favourite daughter. But Shiva and Daksha had enmity between each other. Daksha, being a Prajapathi, it was his duty to classify everybody from Lord Vishnu - to the smallest organism. But Shiva was Nirguni, so he did not belong to any of the class categories classified by Daksha. Shiva had also beheaded Bramha (Daksha's father). Shiva did not perform the Shastras set forth by Daksha, the ones which a son in law should do to his father in law after marriage. This further angered Daksha.

 

One day, Daksha decided to perform a Mahayagna to which he invited everyone except his daughter Dakshayini and Lord Shiva himself. But since Dakshayini was her father's favourite daughter, she didn't want to miss attending her father's greatest of Yagnas. She went to the Yagna uninvited. The twist is that, by then, Daksha's love for his daughter had perished. He insulted and humiliated his daughter and her husband. She couldn't take it. She got furious and cursed everyone present there, including Bramha and Vishnu. She showed her real Adishakthi Rupa and got herself burnt with her own radiance. On hearing this, Mahadeva got very angry and began to perform the famous Rudra Tandava dance. At that moment, Veerabhadra and Bhadrakali were created with Shiva's Jata (hair). Veerabhadra (form of shiva) went to the Daksha Yagna and beheaded Daksha. This is the main story narrated and performed by the Veeragaase dancers.

 

This dance form should only be performed by the Jangama people from the Veerashaiva/Lingaayat community. The dance group has a minimum of two and a maximum of six members. Traditionally, it is performed only by the men. But nowadays, even women perform the non-religious, typically folk part of this dance form. A leader narrates the entire story as it is being performed. Another freaky ritual in this is the piercing of a needle across the mouth (tongue part) which shows their immense devotion towards their diety Veerbhadra. Live percussion instruments like sambal, dim, shehnai, karadi and chamala are used. Flute, drums and veena are used too.

 

Veeragase is majorly performed in the Mysuru Dasara celebrations and in Hindu months of Karthika and Shravana. In a nutshell, the dance performers pay respect to their lord Veerabhadra in the most fierce and energetic way possible. Learning and mastering this art form is not a cakewalk. One needs to be extremely dedicated, focused, disciplined and devoted to it. Also to make a career out of it in this era, an investment of Rs 1 Lakh (approx) should be done just to buy the massive costumes. Since it is quite expensive, not everyone can afford to learn it. It would help if the government gave scholarships to folk art as well. This will encourage people to explore various fields and will in turn help in preserving and boosting the cultural richness of the nation.

 

This is a very special folk art form as only one clan of people perform this. The Lingaayat clan. They are essentially Shiva Bhaktas. The legacy is passed on from father to son and so on. To this day, there are families who have dedicated their lives to keep the art form alive, after all, their family legacies. What's interesting is that, this culture has survived inspite of all the imperialism and colonialism we have undergone. That's what makes Bharath different. Another fascinating fact I observed is that; even though just one community of people perform this, it is given so much importance in the grand festive events like Mysuru Dasara. This evidently shows that we have been a society who accept and respect all kind of art forms. There are deep, core values we can learn from the history of our folk arts. Art speaks, we should learn to listen.