Media Release
Beltangady, Nov 19: The people of Dharmasthala were enthralled by the performance of Japanese folk art 'Hayachine Kagura', on the occasion of Lakshadeepostava on Tuesday November 18 at Amruthavarshini Hall here.
'Hayachine Kagura' is a traditional folk art, performed by people of a community and seen at a festival or an annual event in the community. The art is chiefly special to the people of two communities in Hanamaki city, Iwate Prefecture, which is located in the northern part of mainland Japan.
This art is expressed through the ritual dance of performers wearing masks of a deity, accompanied by instrumental music such as rhythms of big drums, in order to receive the blessings of the deity.
The music for Kagura is played by a big drum, small cymbals and a flute, accompanied by songs. The stage is approximately 3.6 m large; there are one to five dancers, depending on the piece. A tapestry approximately 2 meters high is hung at the back, and they appear onto the stage, lifting up the lower edge of the tapestry.
There are almost 70 different types of folk dance versions found in Hayachine Kagura. Among them, important 5 items were performed here:
1. Thori - Mai is the opening stage dance in the order of Hayachine Kagura. Hen and rooster make coupling in dance, as Japanese believe hen and rooster as Japan’s couple gods.
2. Yamuno Kami Moy is a mountain god in Japan. Here, lord Manjunatha Swamy was replaced by Japanese god, who travels in the mountain region and gives magical power with sacred paper, and who threw rice to the audience during the performance.
3. Gokoku - Mai is the dance of five seeds. This dance came from Japan's founding mythology.
4. Fusho - Mai is a type of dance which entails recitation of Buddhist Sutra. This dance's idea emerged from Tantra Buddhism.
5. Gongen – Mai is a dance of black lion. This dance is the finale to Hayachine Kagura.
The dance was performed by Sumio Morijiri, visiting professor of Mangalore University and team.
Dr Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala was present.
The Lakshadeepotsava which began on November 18 will go on till November 23. Thousands of devotees flocked Dharmasthala to participate in the 10-km padayatra that was held as part of the festivity.
Wrong deeds bring only short-lived success - Dr Veerendra Heggade
Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (SP)
Beltangady, Nov 19: 'It is possible to take short route to success through devious means. However, such a success does not last, and those who get involved with wrong things get decimated eventually,' said Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari, Dr D Veerendra Heggade.
He was addressing participants of padayatra organized from Ujire to Dharmasthala on the occasion of annual Dharmasthala Lakshadeepotsava, as part of Swachch, Swasth Bharat Abhiyan at Amritavarshini Hall in the temple town on Tuesday November 18.
Heggade said that walking long distances has been one of the methods of earning the blessings of the Lord, adding that love and trust extended to him by the people have inspired him to begin several welfare schemes. 'Your Padayatra has also infused in me a sense of fulfillment and encouraged me to undertake more service initiatives. The schemes and programmes which had been taken up since long will continue. During the last couple of years, I had faced a challenging period, but I never lost my confidence and courage. Because of wholehearted support and cooperation of the general public, I could stand up to the challenges and come out clean. One should always take care not to indulge in personal vilification campaigns and uphold our refinement and culture,' he explained.
Vijayaraghava Padvetnaya,managing trustee of Janardana Temple Ujire was present. Convener of the Padayatra, Pratapsimha Nayak, and several other dignitaries were present.