BiBi Nachiyar: A tribute to the catholicity of Shri Ramanuja:

From the exuberant opening scene till the closing sequence in poignant devotion, the premier show of BiBi Nachiyar dance ballet had all the ingredients to hold the audience spell bound.  The event held on 15^th November 2012  marked the run up to the Millennium  celebrations  (1017- 2017) of Acharya Sri Ramanuja. The ballet draws inspiration from the much cherished story of Melkote Cheluvanarayanaswamy in true historic perspective with finesse and integrity.

The ballet revolves around the backdrop of  the temple town  which fell prey to the attack of Sultan  who ransacked its treasures. The ‘Utsav-murthy’ of the temple was carried away by him as war booty. Enraptured by the beauty of the idol, the Princess (Bibi) kept it with her.  Years later, Ramanuja had a dream in which Thirunarayana asked him to retrieve his idol from  the Sultan’s  hands. Acharya called on him and did convince him to return the idol. The Sultan however said that his collections were far too many to help any search!  It was then the Acharya endearingly called out “Ramapriya”  upon which, much to the astonishment of the entire Court the idol in child form ( see pic) came dancing towards Ramanuja and sat on his thigh. When the idol was brought back to Melkote, Bibi could not bear the separation and followed it to Melkote. She lived in Melkote for the rest of her life. Today an idol of hers adorns at the feet of the Utsavamurthy to commemorate her memory.

Students of Vaishnavi Natyashala, Bengaluru deserve all praise for their well crafted, choreographed movements under the commendable direction of Guru Mithun Shyam. He himself essayed the role of Ramanuja with great aplomb and devotion. Apart from the choice of ragas to which the lyrics were set, the dance movements carried the befitting nuances of Bharat Natyam, Mohini Aattam and Kathak.

Interestingly in SriRangam, there is a shrine next to the main sanctum lovingly dedicated to Thulukka Naachiyar (Islamic Princess). Once a year, the Kalyana utsava of Thulukka Naachiyar with Ranganatha is celebrated with great enthusiasm. In testimony to her unflinching love, to this day, Ranganatha’s breakfast consists of Butter Roti cooked in Mughlai style. They are first offered to the Naachiyar and then only offered to Ranga.

 The broad vision of Saint Ramanuja and the catholicity of Sri Vaishnavism have been best demonstrated in these historic narratives.