Today, Viragase is normally seen at village fairs and community occasions like marriages. The performances often take the shape of offerings to God by the devotees. It consist of vigorous song and dance combined with storytelling by a group of eight to twelve people, including singers, drummers, cymbalists, and sword dancers. The narrator intervenes to relate the story in epigrammatic couplets, and the dancers join him as a chorus. Sometimes there are multiple narrators, each picking up the story-strand in turn. The themes revolve around the demigod Virabhadra, created by the wrathful Siva to combat Daksha. With the entry of Virabhadra the narrative climax reaches the zenith as the subsequent tale eulogizes his various heroic acts. Each such episode is brief. As a result, Viragase is oriented more to creating an atmosphere of devotion than communicating a narrative. This can be said as one main reason why it has become more popular today as a social celebration than a dramatic performance. This article is a stub. You can enrich by adding more information to it. Send your Write Up to content@indianetzone.com |