Meera Bai and the Himachal Pradesh connection
Shailaja Khanna
Meera Bai was born in Rajasthan, lived in Vrindavan, died in Dwarka Gujarat, but is today subtly linked with Himachal Pradesh. The ‘murti’ she worshipped, perhaps the one which she took with her when she married, is today in the Brij Nath temple in Nurpur fort, in Kangra. In fact, the Vaishnava tradition is very strong in Himachal despite the common perception that the region is Devi Sthal; amongst others, in Rampur Bushair, their ‘devta’ is Lord Badrinath (though the ‘kul Devi’ is Bhimakali); in Mandi, the main ‘devta’ is Lord Madhorao, Kullu is linked with Lord Rama.
How and why the ‘murti’ of Krishna came to be installed in Nurpur fort is a matter of conjecture – perhaps it came with a Rajasthani Princess in her marriage dowry when she married a Prince from Nurpur. Another legend has it that the Raja of Nurpur had done a favour to the Rana of Merta, and when he went there, to Meera’s home, he asked the Rana for the ‘murti’ which was given to him. He installed it in his temple in Nurpur fort where it has been worshipped since then. People say another ‘murti’ that Meera Bai worshipped is in Dwarka.
Be that as it may, the legend of Meera Bai, which has withstood the depredations of centuries still fascinates. She remains alive through her numerous poems which are sung all over India; poems composed in an ecstasy of love and ‘bhakti’ for her beloved Lord. It is said when she went to Vrindavan and wanted to pay obeisance to Swami Sanatan Goswami, he is said to have sent back a message that being a celibate monk, he could not meet a woman alone. Meera Bai apparently replied, “I thought in Braj there was only one man – Krishna; who are you?” The monk, realising he was in the presence of a true devotee immediately came out to meet her.
The spiritual journey of Meera Bai has been visually depicted in an extravagant dance drama entitled “Meera the Soul Divine,” by Padma Shri Chitra Visweswaran, the Bharatanatyam legend from Chennai. Since its inception in 2016, the legend has toured the world with her production Meera, with her team of eight dancers.
Surprisingly, it is in Shimla, not Delhi, that the production will be staged in North India for the first time; Chitra Visweswaran said “it’s an amazing coincidence to hear that Meera’s ‘murti’ is in Himachal Pradesh”.
A 90-minute non-stop production, Meera’s music has been composed by none other than Bombay Jayashri, with 16 songs, using Meera Bai’s own poems. The aesthetic movements, perfectly choreographed dances, subtle light effects and lyrical music speak of an unforgettable experience. In Smt Chitra’s words, “Jayashri’s music in Meera was very evocative. I would describe the scene I had visualised to her and she would create music that conveyed the mood I needed. People asked me what was created first, the dance or the music, and I said both happened hand in hand, at the same time.”
Smt Bombay Jayashri was equally complimentary of her akka (elder sister) Chitra – “it was amazing how she had such a vivid picture of the scenes which she conveyed so clearly, how much time per scene how one scene merged into another, which costumes, what the mood of each scene was, which had to be conveyed through my music….we would see the production open up in front of our eyes.”
Talking about the show ahead of her visit to Shimla, Smt Chitra said, “The life of Meera has been depicted in various films and productions. In my production, I have tried to show the spiritual journey of Meera’s life.”
On how, as an artist trained in the Carnatic idiom, she was able to bring realism into her production of Meera, Smt Chitra replied “we are one people, the ‘bhakti’ fervour infects all of us, whether we are from north or south.” Artistry knows no boundaries. The same dance movement when done in a ‘seedha palla’ looks different when done in the traditional Bharatanatyam sari.”
“Meera the Soul Divine” will be performed on August 27th at 6pm, at The Gaiety Theatre, Shimla.
