Nagamandala
Summary
The play is based on two oral tales from Karnataka, originally narrated to Karnad by Professor A. K. Ramanujan, to whom the play is dedicated. Naga-Mandala was written by Girish Karnad in 1987-1988 during his tenure as a Visiting Professor and Fulbright Scholar at the University of Chicago.
Karnad wrote Naga-Mandala while serving as a Visiting Professor and Fulbright Scholar at the University of Chicago.
Originally written in Kannada, Karnad later translated it into English to reach a wider audience. The English version of the play was first published in 1990 by Oxford University Press.
The first premiere of Naga-Mandala took place in 1990. It was staged in Kannada by the theater group Sanket, under the direction of Shankar Nag, a renowned Indian actor, director, and theater personality. The play received widespread acclaim for its innovative storytelling and thematic depth, marking its place as a significant work in Indian theater.
Naga-Mandala was first presented in English by the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, on 16 July 1993, as a part of its thirtieth birthday celebrations.
The story begins with a Man in a ruined temple who believes he will die unless he stays awake all night. Flames, personified as lamp flames, enter and gossip about their households. They mention a Story that escaped from a woman’s mouth after being suppressed for years. The Man promises to listen to the Story if it stays with him, and the Story begins.
Rani, a beautiful and innocent young woman, is married to Appanna, a cruel and controlling man who locks her inside the house every day while he visits a concubine. Rani, lonely and frightened, starts imagining tales to cope with her isolation. One day, Kurudawa, an old blind woman, visits Rani and gives her a magical root, claiming it will make her husband fall in love with her. Rani reluctantly uses a small piece of the root, mixing it into Appanna’s milk. The root makes Appanna faint, and frightened, Rani pours the remaining paste near an anthill outside the house.
Unbeknownst to Rani, the milk seeps into the anthill where a cobra, Naga, resides. Enchanted by the milk and Rani’s fragrance, the cobra falls in love with her. That night, Naga transforms into Appanna’s likeness and enters Rani’s house. He treats her with love and tenderness, unlike her husband. Rani, believing it is Appanna, begins to enjoy his company. During the day, Appanna continues to mistreat her, leaving Rani confused and unsure of reality.
Rani discovers she is pregnant and shares the news with Naga, believing him to be Appanna. Naga asks her to keep the pregnancy a secret, but Appanna notices her growing belly and accuses her of infidelity. Enraged, he drags her to the Village Elders, demanding justice. The Elders propose traditional tests of innocence, but Rani insists on proving her purity through a snake ordeal. She declares she will put her hand into the anthill and pull out the cobra. The villagers are shocked but allow her to proceed.
On the day of the ordeal, Rani reaches into the anthill and pulls out the cobra. She swears her innocence, stating she has touched only two males in her life—her husband and the cobra. Miraculously, the cobra does not harm her and instead spreads its hood over her head like a protective umbrella. The villagers, amazed by the miracle, declare her a goddess. Appanna, humbled by the event, begs for her forgiveness and vows to treat her with respect. Even his concubine repents and offers to serve Rani. Rani’s life transforms as she gains a loving husband, a child, and a happy home.
Naga, realizing that Rani no longer needs him, visits her one last time in his cobra form. Seeing her happy with her family, he decides to end his life. Hiding in Rani’s hair, Naga ties himself into a noose, strangling himself. In the morning, Rani discovers Naga’s lifeless body when combing her hair. She insists that Naga be cremated with proper rituals, treating him as if he were the father of her child. She requests that her son perform annual rituals in Naga’s memory to honor his sacrifice.
The play ends with Rani, Appanna, and their child living a peaceful and happy life. However, the open-ended nature of the story invites interpretation, leaving the audience to ponder the complexity of relationships, the blend of myth and reality, and the sacrifices made in the name of love. Naga-Mandala captivates with its rich symbolism and explores profound human emotions, blending folklore with contemporary themes.
Alternate Ending
In the alternate ending of Naga-Mandala, the flames, who observe the unfolding story, express disappointment with its sad conclusion and question why stories often end this way. The Man, the storyteller, defends the ending, stating that death is a natural part of life, but the flames argue that he has the power to change the story’s outcome. This dialogue highlights the influence of the storyteller and the creative power they hold.
The story shifts back to Rani, who now lives peacefully with her husband, Appanna, and their child. One night, Rani feels a sharp pain in her head, and a live cobra falls out of her hair when Appanna tries to comb it. Instead of fearing the snake, Rani calmly speaks to it and lets it hide in her hair, accepting the mystical part of her life and her connection with Naga.
The cobra, now a symbol of her marriage and the love she shared with Naga, becomes a permanent part of her life. The story returns to the Man in the ruined temple, signifying the end of his struggle to stay awake. The ending leaves the audience with a sense of mystery, emphasizing the coexistence of magic and reality, love, and sacrifice, and the open-ended nature of stories. This alternate conclusion adds depth to the themes of the play and invites reflection on the nature of storytelling itself.
