[Click on CC for synced Odia text + English translations]
"Save me, Hari!" cries Prahallada, while his father Hiranya tries to inflict various kinds of punishments to kill him. This is a song from the ~200-year old Prahallada Nataka of Ganjam, a traditional performing art form of Odisha. Prahallada Nataka is an elaborate musical theatre based on the tale of Vishnu's man-lion avatara, Narasingha. It was created by Raja Ramakrusna Chhotaraya, king of Jalantara, a tiny princely state then part of Odisha.

The heart & soul of Prahallada Nataka is music - Odissi classical music. Hundreds of songs based on traditional Odissi ragas & talas constitute the entire storyline. These are sung with elaborate filigree typical of Ganjam, in sustained high-pitch for hours together.

Poet : Ramakrusna Deba Chhotaraya
From Prahallada Nataka, Ganjam

#OdissiMusic #ଓଡ଼ିଶୀସଙ୍ଗୀତ #PrahalladaNataka #ପ୍ରହଲ୍ଲାଦନାଟକ