{{Short description|Indian performing theatre form}} {{Infobox performing art | name = Bharata lila | image = Bharata Lila.jpg | caption = Guru Santosh Kumar Padhi plays the ''duari'' | medium = [[Musical theatre]] | types = | ancestor = | descendant = | culture = [[Odia culture]] | origin = [[Odisha]], {{flag|India}} | era = Nineteenth century (present form) | music = | participants = Duari, [[Arjuna]], [[Subhadra]], [[Satyabhama]] }}
'''Bharata Lila''' is an Indian [[Performing art|performing]] [[theater]] form of [[Ganjam district]] of [[Odisha]]. The plot is based on [[Character (arts)|characters]] of the [[Mahabharata]], thus the name of the form. Because of the importance of a central character ''Duari,'' Arjuna's sentry, it is also called ''Duari Nata'' or ''Duari Llla''.<ref name="Lal2004">{{cite book|author=Ananda Lal|title=The Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DftkAAAAMAAJ|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-564446-3}}</ref> The focal point of the plot is the story of Arjuna & Subhadra's romance, which is why it is also known as ''Subhadra Harana''.<ref name="Dāśa1981">{{cite book|author=Dhīren Dāśa|title=Jatra, the people's theatre of Orissa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qgM7AAAAMAAJ|year=1981|publisher=Institute of Oriental Theatre Arts}}</ref> Apart from Ganjam, it is also performed in some parts in western Odisha. The play is known for its effective use of humour within the traditional storyline.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sangeet Natak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z52fAAAAMAAJ|year=1979|publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi}}</ref> A regular performance of Bharata Lila in the 21st century goes on for about 10–12 hours. In the last century performances used to last for a couple of days at a stretch. The ''badi'' is a performance method in Odisha's traditional artforms where opponents compete with each other. In urban settings, Bharata Lila performances are regularly condensed to just 2–3 hours owing to lack of time.<ref name="ClausDiamond2003">{{cite book|author1=Peter J. Claus|author2=Sarah Diamond|author3=Margaret Ann Mills|title=South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ienxrTPHzzwC&pg=PA62|year=2003|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-93919-5|pages=62–}}</ref><ref name="Dash">{{cite journal|last=Dash|first=Dhiren|title=Jatra: People's Theatre of Orissa|journal=Sangeet Natak: Journal of the Sangeet Natak Akademi|date=1979|series=52: 11-26}}</ref>
The plot is based on [[Odia literature|Odia]] poetry written by the poet Dinabandhu Dasa, mostly in the ''chhanda'' form of [[Odissi music]]. While Dinabandhu's version of the play was written only in the 19th century, older forms of the play used to be in vogue even before him. The subject matter has been dealt with extensively in [[Sarala Das|Sarala Dasa]]'s 15th-century Odia ''Mahabharata'' as well as Upendra Bhanja's ornate epic-poem ''Subhadra Parinaya''. Dinabandhu's narrative greatly derives from these retellings of the Mahabharata episode. Medieval Odia literature, including the Odissi songs of poets [[Dinakrushna Dasa|Dinakrusna Dasa]], [[Upendra Bhanja|Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja]], [[Baladeba Ratha|''Kabisurjya'' Baladeba Ratha]], [[Gopalakrusna Pattanayaka]] are also employed in relevant situations. Classical [[Odissi music]] is freely interspersed with folk music. The characters of Bharata Lila are [[Arjuna]], [[Subhadra]], [[Satyabhama]] from [[Mahabharata]], and a central character "''duari''" which is absent in the epic.<ref name="Lal2004"/> The ensemble of Bharata Lila comprises a [[mardala]], gini, jodinagara, ghuduki and harmonium.{{Odissi Classical Music sidebar}}
==Citations== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Commonscatinline}}
{{Odissi music}}{{Odia culture}}
[[Category:Performing arts in Odisha]]