Garuda Garva Bhangam - Excerpt 1

Presented here is an excerpt from Garuda Garva Bhangam, an Ottan Thullal Performance. Ottan Thullal is a classical performing art form of Kerala. Garuda Garvabhangam is a story taken from Ramanucharitham, authored by Kunchan Nambiar, the great Malayalam poet who invented this art form.

Story
Lord Krishna, one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, decides to humble the arrogance of his carrier Garuda, the king of birds. He commands Garuda to bring Hanuman, the monkey god and ace warrior. Hanuman is a devotee of Lord Rama, another incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He resides in the Kadali groves, constantly chanting the name of his master. When Garuda calls out to him, Hanuman realizes Krishna’s aim. He tells Garuda that he cannot accompany him, as he has no respect for Krishna. An angry Garuda challenges Hanuman to a duel and in the end receives a humiliating defeat.

In this part of video Lord Krishna asks Garuda to bring Hanuman. Performing here is Kalamandalam Geethanandan, a master Thullal performer. At present, he is the Head of the Department of Thullal at Kerala Kalamandalam, the premiere training centre for Kerala’s classical arts.